


You Can't Hide It Forever

by Daisies_and_Roses



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Drug Use, Blood, Blood Loss, Canon Divergence, Depression, Gen, Grief, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Skye | Daisy Johnson, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide (in a fictional world), Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Life Model Decoys, Medical Procedures, Mental Health Issues, Project Looking Glass, Psychological Trauma, References to Depression, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, The Framework, The Framework Universe (Marvel), Therapy, Torture, Trauma, doctor jemma, mama may
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisies_and_Roses/pseuds/Daisies_and_Roses
Summary: A canon-divergent, Alternate Framework!! season four Agents of SHIELD. In early season four when Daisy comes back to SHIELD, she turns out to be in much worse emotional shape than they thought. And what happens when Aida takes matters into her own hands and sends her into the simulation??**MAJOR trigger warnings** for self-harm and depressing topics! This story does include (mentions of or otherwise)—self-harm, attempts at life, depressing topics, etc. Not to be read lightly. No character deaths in real life but very sad and depressing. Meant to go along with Daisy's early season four storyline. Nothing too graphic, but rated Mature just to be on the safe side. Please be careful with this, it can be extremely upsetting. Take care of yourself while reading this and maybe skip out if it's too much for you.Major spoilers for season 4/end of season 3!
Relationships: Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Melinda May, Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 9
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This was my most popular story over on fanfic.net back in June and I thought I'd post it here as well. I'll be posting about 3-4-ish chapters in one so it's a bit less choppy for you. I hope to post a chapter every few days or so. All of it is all completed, so no worries of writer's block, etc XD
> 
> Here's your reminder to BE CAREFUL while reading this and get help if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues to the ones mentioned in this story.

Daisy pressed the ice pack to her bruised wrist. She wasn't sure how she felt about being back at SHIELD. It felt more comforting than she'd imagined in her days flying solo in that little van. It felt quite good to be sitting on an actual bed for once, she had to admit.

Mack had insisted that Daisy join the team for dinner in the common room. "You're part of this team again, even if it's just for now," he had said to her. She loved Mack like a brother and she always would, but she didn't exactly feel like seeing everyone all together like that again. She just wasn't ready.

And she just wasn't ready for them to find her secret.

* * *

"I guess she isn't showing up," Mack said to Fitz as he took a bite of his dinner, a little disappointed.

Fitz put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just give her some time to adjust back to this lifestyle. I'm sure she'll come around to us eventually."

Mack grumbled to himself, hoping with all his might that that was true.

* * *

Someone finding it became inevitable after she got hurt in an attempt at fighting all those prisoner Watchdogs solo. What had she been thinking?! Sure, she thought this was _her_ battle and didn't want anyone else to have to fight it but her, but seeing the looks on May and Coulson's faces when they found her in that kitchen having the life choked out of her was enough to regret it.

Daisy didn't want to see medical. There was no way. No matter how much Coulson would gripe about it, she refused to. She couldn't do it.

She couldn't let them see it.

* * *

"The hell were you thinking?!" May asked Daisy once they were safely on their way back to the base.

Daisy opened her mouth to stay something but stopped herself. "That was _my_ fight."

May set her jaw. "You know it wasn't. You'd better thank the world that Coulson and I got to you when we did."

Daisy muttered under her breath, "I wish you hadn't."

"What was that?" May snapped.

"Nothing," Daisy said, louder this time.

May felt sick to her stomach. She had sure as hell heard what Daisy said. All she wanted to do was scoop Daisy up into her arms and soothe her, but she knew the girl wasn't ready for that yet. She needed time to adjust. Being in the same plane where she had watched Lincoln die before her eyes _had_ to be tough. And May knew she was reminding Daisy of the "old days".

So she left her former student with her thoughts.

* * *

Once they got back to the base Coulson found Daisy still sitting in the quinjet during his little sweep of the Zephyr. She was just sitting there, alone, on the laptop. Alone. She seemed to like to be alone a lot nowadays.

"Whatcha doing?" Coulson asked, gently knocking on the wall of the jet to alert her to his presence. He wasn't going to be stern with her; he figured that was May's job. He hoped his sudden cheerfulness might cheer her up a bit.

No luck.

When she turned to him Coulson internally winced at the sight of her bruised face and chest, and _especially_ her eyes. Her _eyes_ , they...they looked sad, tired, exhausted, and... _done_.

"Not much," she told him, turning back to the laptop.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and strode closer to her, leaning himself against the seats across from where she was sitting on the floor. "I didn't see you leave the Zephyr. Maybe you should let somebody take a look at you. You got beat up pretty bad back there."

She rolled her eyes and closed her laptop screen part-way. "I'm fine, I promise." In truth, she just didn't want anybody to see her...well, what she wanted to keep hidden. The last thing she wanted was for some inexperienced medic agent to overreact about it and run straight to Simmons and then Simmons would scold her and run to Coulson and then Coulson would run to May and then May would...It just keeps going.

But Coulson looked oh so hurt by her current state. It killed her to see Coulson all broken up over her.

Oh well. That was just another thing to add to her guilt list.

He put his hand out to Daisy, and to his surprise, she took it after just a few moments of hesitation. He gently pulled her to her feet, mindful of her injured arm, and gave her a warm smile, nudging to the door with his head. "Come on. Let's get you some ice or something."

Coulson was quite literally killing her with kindness right now. Was this some form of brutal punishment? Was this his way of taking out his anger with her?

She didn't know, but she quite hated it.

She just found herself unable to resist doing what he asked when he was so nice to her. Why didn't he use this method more often on her?

"Agent Krimson, can you give Miss Johnson a check-up?" Coulson said to a young, scrawny med agent once they got to the lab. "She took quite the beating back in the field."

Daisy rolled her eyes, annoyed, eliciting a smug smirk from Coulson.

Krimson nodded cheerfully, motioning to an exam table a few feet away. "Of course. Right this way."

Daisy gave Coulson one last glare as she followed the young med agent. Coulson gave her a cheerful wave, making Daisy groan in frustration.

Why did he have to care about her so damn much?!

* * *

"No serious head injuries, as far as I can tell," Krimson told Daisy as he shined a medical flashlight into her eyes. "Your pupils aren't blown or anything."

Daisy nodded. "Great. Thanks. Look, Krimson, I'm going to go..." She started to try and get up from the table.

He furrowed his brow, putting a hand up to stop her. "Wait just one second, please. Agent Simmons requested new x-rays of your arm to see how it's healing."

Daisy opened her mouth to say something but all that happened was a tiny gasp. "I..."

Krimson smiled warmly. "Don't worry. It'll be quick." He started to gather some supplies.

Daisy ran her fingers through her hair. "I...I think I'm good for now." She feigned a yawn as he turned to look at her. "Gosh, I'm getting so tired. Can we reschedule to another time? I think I should get some res- "

Krimson crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "Just let me take the x-rays. It's better than letting Simmons get all angry at you," he told her as he turned back to the counter, grabbing a portable x-ray machine. "Would you mind sliding your sleeves up for me?"

"Um..." Daisy began. "I...you know, I can't really..." She stuttered, not wanting him to see the secrets lying beneath the cover of her sleeves.

He knitted his eyebrows. "It's not that hard." He set the machine down next to Daisy on the exam table and reached for her sleeves to help her pull them back, but she flinched away.

"NO!" she shouted, loud enough for the other scientists in the lab to go silent and direct their attention to her. Her face became a deep shade of red in embarrassment.

Krimson narrowed his eyes, suspicious, and gently grabbed her wrist, taking the edge of her sleeve and rolling it up. Daisy didn't resist him this time; it wasn't worth it at this point. Everyone in the lab already saw her as a sensitive freak.

A look of fear, distraught, and confusion crossed Krimson's face all at once as he looked from her bare wrist up to Daisy then back to her wrist.

Little scars covered the length of her forearm, some pink and relatively new, others white and older.

"What..." he began.

Daisy was ashamed of herself. She had to look away from him and at the floor.

After a few silent moments of Krimson gathering his bearings, he finally spoke quietly, "After your x-rays, I think it best I bring this up with a higher level agent. This is serious, Miss Johnson. Some of these scars are fresh; I can't let this go on."

"Please..." Daisy croaked, swallowing the massive lump that had formed in her throat.

"This is something you can't simply keep hidden," he told her, shaking his head in disbelief. He looked down at her saddened and ashamed eyes. "We would have found out at some point, you know."

"I know," she said quietly. And she was speaking the full truth.

* * *

After Krimson took the x-rays Daisy was dreading what happened next. So she decided to make a move.

"You can't tell them," she said to the young agent firmly.

He pursed his lips as he looked away from the computer that had the x-ray results on it and over to her. "I have to, Daisy."

"No, you don't," she said calmly but threateningly, aiming her palm at him as if she was going to quake him.

He let out a small snort as he looked back at her x-rays. "You quake me, and you shatter every bone in your body."

"As if they aren't already shattered," she mumbled. She sighed and rolled down her sleeves, standing up from the exam table and walking over to be next to him. "Look, Krimson, I wanted it to be _my_ duty to tell them. And you're trying to take away the one freedom I have?" She mocked eyes of hurt.

Krimson chewed his bottom lip in contemplation. "If you promise to tell them by dinner time this evening, I will let you do the honors. If not—"

"I get it," Daisy snapped. Truthfully, she had no plans of telling the team. She wished that memory stick from Men In Black really existed right about now so she could wipe Krimson's memory.

All hell broke lose when Simmons entered the lab.

She smiled upon seeing Daisy but that smile faded when she saw how bruised her friend was. "I heard you got beaten up but I had no idea it was _this_ bad."

Daisy rolled her eyes with annoyance. "It's fine, don't worry about me," she mumbled.

Krimson had his lips pressed shut, clearly trying his hardest not to explode with Daisy's deepest and darkest secret.

Jemma leaned over to the computer and squinted at her x-rays. "They look pretty good. I still want you off your powers for a little longer, but..." She squinted even harder as she pointed to the screen, studying it. "What are those faint lines..." She saw them running across horizontally on her forearms. They were faint, but with the high-quality x-rays at SHIELD you could even see skin injuries.

Jemma's eyes widened with the realization. "Daisy, is there something you want to..." Her voice broke before she could finish. She was on the verge of tears; Daisy could tell. Jemma roughly grabbed Daisy's arms and yanked her sleeves back faster than you can imagine.

Simmons angrily pointed an accusing finger at Krimson. "Why didn't you come _right_ to me, Krimson?! Hmm?!" A small tear escaped Jemma's eye and rolled down her cheek. The male med agent's face turned red with shame and embarrassment.

Jemma looked over to her friend and something like a sob escaped her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand and sucked in shaky breaths. She turned to Krimson. "I can't handle this any longer, I..." She handed him the data pad she was holding and stormed out.

Daisy groaned in frustration and sat back on the table, burying her face in her hands. "How could you let this happen?" came a muffled question to Krimson.

"I can't say I didn't tell you so," he said to her quietly.

* * *

"May," Simmons choked out, still baffled by her experience with Daisy. "What...can you explain what..." Her voice broke again, and she took a deep breath to compose herself. "...What _really_ happened in the prison?"

They were standing in the hallway. "Daisy locked herself in the cafeteria so she could fight them alone. Something about it was _her_ fight," May replied.

Jemma sucked in a shaky breath, wiping her wet eyes. "May..."

"What is it, Simmons?" May asked, concerned. The poor girl was pasty-white and looked like she'd seen a ghost. She put a strong hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"Daisy...D-Daisy has been...sh-she's been..." Jemma couldn't help it any longer. The tears poured out.

"What's going on!?" May asked, scared now. She had a bit of an idea because of what she'd heard Daisy muttering about on the Zepher and her actions at the prison.

"May, I think she's suicidal," Simmons finally spat out.

"No kidding," May muttered.

"No, but..." She took a deep breath. "I think she's acting on it."

May's heart pounded and she looked at Simmons. "What?"

Jemma nodded. "I saw something when I rolled up her sleeves."

"No..." May gasped, shaking her head with disbelief. "That can't be..."

Another tear escaped Simmons's eye. "You can go see for yourself if you want."

* * *

Daisy should have expected May's reaction, but it still surprised her nonetheless.

She was just sitting in her bunk room, trying to calm herself before the "storm" of the entire team scolding her, when her door was quite literally kicked open. May burst in and stormed right over to her bed.

"Jacket off," she demanded.

"May—" Daisy started.

" _Off_ ," she hissed.

Daisy scoffed and her nostrils flared. She reluctantly gave in, though, because May's glare was shooting daggers.

Daisy slowly unzipped the front of her tactical suit top and pulled it off, gently setting it next to her on the bed. She was now just wearing a tank top, and May walked closer to her, holding out her own hands. "Palms up," she told her mechanically.

Daisy rolled her eyes but flipped her arms over. May let them rest on her hands as she looked them over.

It felt like an eternity before she spoke. She met Daisy's eyes. "What is this about?" she asked her.

"May..."

"Tell. Me."

"I..." She sighed, shifting her weight on the bed. "I needed to punish myself for what I did. Getting back the Watchdogs wasn't enough for me, so I took...other measures."

May shook her head in frustration and disbelief. "You sacrificed yourself today. How could things like that _possibly_ not be enough for you?!"

Daisy looked down at the floor sadly. "I killed him, May. Nothing can make up for that," she said quietly, sadness so very present in her voice.

May released Daisy's hands and stepped back a little. She folded her hands. "How long has this been going on?"

Daisy sighed. "I first did it after my first attack on the Watchdogs. I thought it would give me more satisfaction than it ended up giving me, so I...I did it."

" _Daisy_ ," May huffed.

"May, stop—"

"No, Daisy," May started. " _You_ don't get to stop _me_. You know what the protocols for this type of thing is? They'd put you in a SHIELD psych facility and _trust me_ , those are _not_ for the faint of heart. You'd have _no_ access to anything that you could _possibly_ use for your..." She waved her hands around. "...your moments, including paper. Your rights would be stripped away from you, Daisy. Do you _really_ want that?"

"This is _exactly_ why I didn't want to tell you!" Daisy hissed.

May pursed her lips angrily and shook her head in disbelief.

She found herself sitting down on the bed next to Daisy and motioning to herself. "Come here."

Daisy's lip quivered and she felt the tears begin to spill. She leaned into May's chest and let the older woman shush her as she rubbed her back soothingly. Every time Daisy hiccuped or let out another cry, May was always there to comfort her.

This went on for quite the while until May felt Daisy's body go limp in her arms. She had fallen asleep.

May affectionately lifted Daisy as she pulled the covers of her bed back, setting her underneath them then tucking them snugly around her. Once she had her all settled, she crept into Daisy's personal bathroom right off the bunk room and searched the cabinets. She found a pair of medical scissors in there with red-stained blades. That made her sick to her stomach and she quickly shoved them into her pocket. She grabbed anything else that could be sharp then left her bunk to hide them from her.

* * *

"I grabbed everything sharp I could possibly find," May told Jemma as she walked into the lab, dumping the pile of objects onto a counter.

Simmons's eyes widened at the sight of all the items.

May picked up the medical scissors that were stained with blood and showed them to her. "These seem to be what she was using."

Simmons took the scissors into her own hands and examined them. "These must have been used in the past few days, while she was here. How could we have missed this?!" She shook her head in disbelief.

"I should have seen it coming," May said quietly, more to herself than anyone.

"Where is Daisy now?" Jemma asked as she placed the scissors back on the counter.

"Asleep. She was exhausted from the fight earlier."

"More like a public beating," Jemma mumbled. "I can't believe she did that to herself."

" _I_ can," May muttered.

Jemma sighed. "Yeah, me too." After a few moments, she shook her head to snap out of her little daze. "I think we should let Mace know—"

" _No_ ," May snapped. "Let's keep this between us for now. We can keep an eye on her and hope she gets better."

"May..." Jemma started skeptically.

"I promise that if she does it again we can tell someone else. I _promise_ ," May assured her, patting her arm.

Simmons nodded assuredly. "Alright, alright. I can agree to that." She pointed an accusing finger at May. "But I'm holding you to your word, May."

"And you absolutely can. We just need to give her a chance to heal on her own before we bring in all the psych protocols, got it?"

Jemma nodded. "Understood."

* * *

When Daisy woke up she felt oh so comfortable in that bed. It felt a _lot_ better to be in that bed than her van cushions.

It had been nearly two days since her last "moment", and Daisy felt really bad for worrying the two women who cared about her most. She felt like she deserved a punishment.

She got up and groggily stumbled toward her bathroom, searching the cabinet for her favorite pair of scissors.

Nothing.

Where did all her things go? There was nothing in there sharp enough to...

_No, what the hell, Daisy?!_ she thought to herself. She internally slapped herself for even _thinking_ about doing that.

Oh, but she wanted to so bad...

She had been such a bad girl today...

_NO!_ she shouted at herself. _For God's sake, STOP!_

Daisy started to get impeccably nervous and began to shake, backing up from the sink. She was frightened of her own reflection in the mirror. It seemed to taunt her about who she _really_ was; just a sick, twisted, sad person with no purpose...

_You have a purpose, Daisy,_ she thought to herself. _Look how many people care about you enough to worry about this. That_ has _to mean something to you._

Daisy shook her head and turned around so she was no longer facing the mirror. Slowly but surely, she left the bathroom and lowered herself back onto her bed, curling up into a ball and hugging her knees.

_I did this to myself,_ she thought. What could she possible have been thinking as she did that?! Was she insane?!

No, she was just sad.

And remorseful.

* * *

Coulson yawned as he ate dinner with May. He looked at his watch. "It's getting late. I think I might head to my bunk for the night."

May smiled a little smile and nodded. "Okay, Phil."

It hurt her to lie to him but she and Jemma had made a promise to each other and she wasn't about to break it.

But Coulson deserved to know, didn't he?

_No, not yet,_ May told herself. _Just wait._

So she allowed him to leave the common room without running after him.

"I should probably go check on Daisy," Simmons said to May a few minutes later when she sat next to her at the counter.

"No, Simmons. You can't handle that."

Simmons scowled. "Excuse me, but I'm a trained med- "

May put a hand up to stop her. "Look at your reaction earlier. You have no idea what you'll be walking into when you go to see her. She could be completely fine or she could _not_ be. There's no way of knowing."

"How about I come with you? Does that sound like a compromise?"

May grumbled a little, but eventually nodded. "Alright, fine."

Simmons smiled as she stood up to go rinse her dish.

* * *

_"Daisy?"_ came a voice from Daisy's phone.

"Hey, Fitz," she said. His call had snapped her out of her little trance, which she might've been grateful for if she could just get the thoughts out of her damn mind.

_"Hey. How you doing?"_

"Oh, I'm good. A little beaten up, but I'll survive."

_"Good to hear. Hey, I know it's kind of getting late, but could you come help me? I can't seem to get into this security feed. It's the exact one we need to find Lucy Bauer."_

"Of course. I'm on my way," Daisy told him. She was very excited to go to the lab. There were things in the lab...

* * *

May knocked on Daisy's bunk door. "Daisy? You up?"

No response.

"Daisy?" Jemma called. There once again wasn't a response, and the British girl's face paled.

"Don't hit the panic button just yet. She's probably still asleep," May assured.

"But we still need to go in to check and make sure she's okay," Jemma sputtered out quickly. Before May could react, she threw the door open and stormed inside Daisy's bunk.

Jemma searched everywhere including the bathroom but found no sign of her friend. "Where is she?" she asked May, wide-eyed.

The older agent was already contacting Daisy on her comms. "Daisy?"

_"Yeah, May?"_ came her response from the other side.

"Where are you?" she asked her.

_"Fitz needed help hacking into some security feeds to find Lucy Bauer,"_ Daisy replied.

Both women in her bunk let out a sigh of relief. "Alright. We'll talk tomorrow morning." She yawned, getting tired herself.

_"Copy that,"_ she said, a little annoyed. _"Signing off."_

* * *

When Daisy came back to her bunk she rushed straight to the bathroom. She couldn't stand it any longer. She had only managed to grab a pair of forceps from the lab but they'd work. Yeah, she knew May and Jemma would talk to her the next morning, but if they didn't know where on her body she was...doing it, then they didn't know at all...

* * *

She nearly forgot about May and Jemma coming there that morning. She jumped when they knocked, scrambling to clean up the bathroom. She'd been at it on and off all night and her thighs ached like crazy.

_Why didn't you consider the fact that they're coming?!_ she asked her past self as she stuffed the forceps under the sink where she hoped they wouldn't look and cleaned up the stained floor.

They banged on the door again and she rushed toward it, sliding on her pants on the way (black so they couldn't see the stains), surprised to see that it was only six in the morning on her clock.

"I kind of wanted to sleep in, you all," she said to them as she opened the door.

"Oh, please," May said, rolling her eyes as Simmons narrowed her eyes at her. "You slept for hours yesterday."

Daisy mumbled something inaudible as she reached over and grabbed her shoes from her dresser, sliding them on.

"Let's go have some breakfast and a chat," Simmons said very British-ly.

Daisy reluctantly followed them to the common room. She was getting dizzier by the minute...

When Daisy grabbed onto the wall for dear life in the hallway May furrowed her brow with concern. "Daisy? You alright?" Jemma asked.

Daisy swallowed, picking her shaky legs up to try and stand up straight. "Yeah, yeah, 'm all good."

Jemma was skeptical but they continued walking anyway. Once they got to the common room Daisy went to the fridge to grab some food. She'd missed out on dinner last night plus the blood loss made her extra hungry for some sugar or nutrients.

A black spot appeared in her vision. She knew Jemma and May were right behind her sitting at the counter so she tried her hardest to remain upright as she stared at the contents of the fridge.

Another black spot and...a spinning milk jug?

She barely noticed Mack walk up to her. "What do you want from here?" he asked her cheerfully with a grin.

She just looked up at him with empty eyes.

"The milk?" he inquired, grabbing the handle of the jug with his strong hand and holding it out for her. She lifted her good hand to grab it but it was incredibly shaky. She had no grip and the jug plummeted to the floor, the cap flying off and the milk spilling everywhere.

Daisy didn't know why, but she burst into tears. Mack was being so nice to her and she made a mess for him in return?

What kind of person _was_ she?!

Mack furrowed his brow, looking down at the spill then back to Daisy. "Uh, you alright there?" he asked as she cried.

Jemma and May eyed each other with immense concern, both rushing to Daisy and swatting Mack away.

May put strong hands on Daisy's shoulders. "Talk to me, Daisy," she said to the sobbing girl.

Jemma was helping Mack clean up the milk.

"What's wrong with her?!" Mack asked.

Jemma shook her head at him as if to tell him, _Not a good time._

Daisy was shaking like crazy now. She couldn't help it any longer.

She collapsed to the floor.

"SIMMONS!" May screamed. She had barely caught Daisy before her head hit the floor.

Daisy was trembling as Jemma rushed to her side, pressing two fingers against her neck then breathing a sigh of relief. "Daisy?" she asked, gently shaking her friend. She lifted Daisy's eyelid and checked under the bottom eyelid, then furrowed her brow at what she found. "She seems to be suffering from blood loss..."

Her eyes widened at the realization and she quickly grabbed Daisy's arm, tearing her sleeves down.

She scowled. All the scars were the same as before. "None of these look fresh," she told May.

Mack gasped from above them. May turned around and knitted her eyebrows with pity when she saw his hurt expression. She knew how much Daisy meant to him.

"She..." he choked out, rubbing his hand over his bald head. "H-How long did you all know?"

"Only since yesterday," Simmons whispered in reply, rolling up Daisy's sweater to check her stomach for scars. She scowled again upon finding nothing.

_Nothing._

"I can't think of any other sites..." Jemma began. She shook her head in disbelief. "I'll have to do a more extensive examination to determine where she did it this time. May, can you search her bunk?"

May nodded, giving Daisy's hair one last affectionate stroke before standing up and leaving to go do as she was told.

"What can I do?" Mack asked quietly. Jemma could easily hear the hurt in his voice.

"Can you carry her to her bunk? I've got to get some supplies from the lab," she responded.

He nodded, bending down to gently slide his hands under her and lift her up. He furrowed his brow at Simmons. "Why not just do it in the lab?"

"We need to keep this a secret for now," she said quietly, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "The psych protocols nowadays are...not good. Besides, she's not technically an agent right now, so she'd just be thrown out of SHIELD forever, really." She sighed, shaking her head frustratedly. "I promised that if she did this again I'd make it public, but I can't bring myself to do that to her."

"I get it, Simmons, I really do," he said to her. "I'll keep quiet unless you tell me otherwise. But in my personal opinion, we should tell Coulson and Fitz. The original team. They deserve to know, don't they- "

He was interrupted by Daisy stirring a little bit in his arms. "Shh," Jemma said to her, stroking her head. "You're alright."

Daisy's eyes opened a sliver and she looked at Mack. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't you _ever_ apologize for this," Mack said to her. He nodded at Jemma as he walked out of the common room and brought her to her bunk.

* * *

Mack laid Daisy on her bed just as May walked out of her bathroom.

"Found these under the sink," she said to him as she held up the forceps.

He shook his head in disbelief, looking down at the sleeping girl on the bed. Despite her dark and thick makeup, she looked incredibly young lying there.

She _never_ deserved what happened to her.

Never.

Simmons stumbled into the room, bearing lots of medical supplies in her arms. She made sure to shut the door behind her. Blood transfusion bags, needles, IV starter kits, sutures, bandages, gauze, syringes, medicine bottles, and more were dumped onto Daisy's dresser from her arms. She grabbed a few of the items and walked over to Daisy's bed.

"We need to find the source of the bleeding," she declared.

"I found these," May said, showing her the forceps.

Jemma's nostrils flared. "She must've snuck those out of the lab last night. How did we not catch that?"

"I had no idea she was _this_ desperate for it," May thought out loud.

Simmons was looking Daisy up and down and finally spotted slightly darker sections on her black jeans, on her thighs.

"I think it's her thighs," she announced. "Sometimes they'll do that," she told them matter-of-factly.

Mack respectfully looked away when Jemma carefully pulled off her jeans with May's help. Both women gasped at all the blood.

Jemma had to take a moment to compose herself before pulling on her gloves and continuing to work on her. Even though she was in her doctor-mode, sniffles could be heard from Simmons as she cleaned up the blood with antiseptic and stitched her up. She taped gauze to the wound sites and wrapped bandages around her entire upper legs to stop her from trying it again.

"I'd better do the same to the other places she might try," she told them. May held up Daisy's sweater as Jemma wrapped Daisy's midsection in gauze and then her forearms.

"Let's hope that prevents her," Jemma said quietly and somberly. Mack went and got some clean clothes and a few of the medical supplies Jemma asked for from Daisy's dresser.

Jemma started an IV in Daisy's arm and hooked it up to the blood transfusion bag, hanging the bag on her bedpost so it could drip properly. Then she and May changed her into the clean clothes, May even affectionately taking Daisy's makeup off with a makeup wipe.

Once she was all settled, Jemma said, "I'm going to give her a sedative so she can get some sleep. Based on..." Her voice broke, and she had to swallow and take a deep breath before continuing. "...Based on the amount of blood loss and the extent of her injuries, I am guessing she was up all night." She got out a syringe and filled it up with the sedative, then injected it into Daisy's arm. "I would suggest that someone stays in her room with her at all times to make sure she doesn't try this again." She was speaking so robotically and emotionlessly. She trashed the syringe and pulled off her gloves. "I do believe it would be quite helpful to let Coulson and Fitz know so that they can help us cover for her because of her absence in her duties. She shouldn't..." Another voice-break. "...She shouldn't be working for at least some time."

"At least this gives her a reason to stay with us," May said quietly, all three agents agreeing.

This wasn't going to be easy. No, it wasn't.


	2. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy takes some baby steps in getting better, but that doesn't mean there won't be a few complications along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder to BE CAREFUL while reading this and get help if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues to the ones mentioned in this story.

When Daisy woke up, everything was fuzzy. She felt _nothing_. No pain, no urges, no memories, just nothing.

She opened her eyes and everything remained visibly fuzzy. The last thing she remembered was being in the common room and...

She sat up, her head swaying a little. _Huh?!_ she thought to herself. She tried to stand up but felt a tug on her arm. Her eyes trailed to her arm and she followed the tube up to the blood bag hanging off her bedpost.

 _A blood transfusion...?_ she thought. _What happened to me..._

She took the covers off her legs and swallowed when she saw the bandages covering her thighs. She was wearing short pajamas and could see the thick white gauze that was supposed to protect her from herself. She noticed the same dressing on her forearms and even her stomach, too.

Her eyelids quivered a little from whatever she had in her system. She yawned and tried to stand up again, but fell right back onto her bed.

She began to get frustrated. She only remembered one thing: Coulson. She _knew_ they were going to tell Coulson soon enough and she had to stop them. But...tell him what? She had no idea, but she knew it was bad. That information would rock his world. He might never look at her the same again. She couldn't handle that...

It would just be yet another thing to add to all the bad things she'd done.

And yet she didn't even have the strength to _stand up_. Earlier, she had felt just like she did when Hive was draining her blood, except it was her draining her own this time. But now, now she just felt numb and fuzzy.

Numb and fuzzy.

"You up?" came a gentle voice from the chair in her room.

She audibly screamed and jumped at the sound of this unfamiliar voice.

"Hey, hey." She watched the person get closer and flinched away from the large body, afraid. "It's just me," came the voice.

Daisy opened her mouth to speak but she had zero ability to do so. Nothing came out.

The big person rubbed her arms soothingly and sat next to her. "Hey, don't worry. I'm here."

She scowled and squinted at the big man next to her. He had to be twice her size, but who _was_ he?

 _Who are you?_ she thought she asked him, but she supposed nothing came out of her mouth.

He gently took her arm and unhooked the long tube. "Simmons says you've had enough blood for now."

_Who?_

Her vision cleared a little and she saw the man's face. It felt vaguely familiar. He was a friend, not a foe. That's all she remembered though.

He smiled widely. "You feeling better after your rest?"

She shook her head slowly. She was trying to say, _I have no idea what's happening._

Now that she was released from her "leash" she was able to stand up, albeit shakily.

"Hey, whatcha doing there?" he asked her.

She opened the drawer to her bedside table and took out the blank journal that was in every bedside table in the base. She ripped out a page of the journal and - with a shaky hand - handed it to the large man.

He scowled as he looked down at the piece of paper in his hands. "What do you want me to do with this?"

Daisy's response was holding out her arm to him and pointing to the bandage.

"No, I won't cut that bandage off for you, Daisy. You need that."

She scowled at him, her bottom lip poking out like she was pouting.

A knock on the door interrupted their strange conversation.

A short woman in a lab coat walked in with a little man in tow. The woman was smiling cheerfully and had what looked like medical supplies in her hands.

"How are you feeling?" the woman asked her in a British accent. She walked up to her and shined a light into her eyes and checked her bottom eyelids, making Daisy flinch away, confused. The pouty scowl remained on her face.

The British lab-coat lady looked to the big man sitting on the bed next to her. "Is she not talking?" she asked as she pressed two fingers to Daisy's wrist, checking her pulse.

He nodded, gently rubbing Daisy's back. He held out the piece of paper to show the woman. "She handed me this and wanted me to cut off the bandages, I think. But that's all I've gotten other than a head-shake 'no' when I asked if she felt better."

_Why were they talking about her like this?!_

The lab-coat lady smiled cheerfully. "Perhaps we gave her too much sedative. Daisy, can you look at me?"

Daisy knew that name. It was hers, right? She looked into the eyes of the British woman.

"Can you say something? Or at least nod if you hear me," she said.

Daisy nodded. _Of course I can hear you,_ she said mentally.

"Do you know who I am?" she inquired as she pulled up her pajama shirt to check the stomach bandage. "Who Mack is?" She motioned to the large man. "Or Fitz?" She motioned to the little sweater-man.

She shook her head.

The British woman smiled an amused smile and pulled down Daisy's shirt. "Yeah, I think we gave her too much," she said to the men in the room. "She has _no idea_ what's going on." She started to inspect her thigh bandages.

"Is this normal?" the man Daisy now knew was Mack asked, concerned.

The little British lady nodded. "Oh, yeah. She'll be fine. It's still unbelievable, considering she was out for nearly twenty-four hours and is _still_ like this." She was now checking Daisy's IV port. She chuckled at Daisy's expression. "You're not too happy with me, are you?"

Daisy's scowl only increased in intensity.

Mack chuckled as well. "Goodness, Tremors."

Once the British lady was finished with her examination, she turned to Sweater-Man. "Fitz, could you get that from the table?" she pointed at a syringe and bottle.

Daisy started to get antsy as Sweater-Man brought the supplies to the lab coat lady. She tried to push away, but Big Mack held onto her. "You'll be fine," he assured, receiving a glare from Daisy. He only smirked in retaliation.

"Alright," British lady said as she put the medicine from the bottle into the syringe and tapped it. "I'm going to give her something that'll help her mind clear up a little. She'll pass out again but she'll be up within the next hour with full lucidity."

Daisy continued to wiggle around but Mack kept a strong hold on her as the British lady injected the syringe, pushing the plunger.

Daisy started to feel very dizzy again and her friends watched her eyes flutter a little.

Soon enough, her head lolled to the side and she was out cold.

* * *

"I think this rest has done her good," Simmons said to Fitz and Mack as she checked Daisy's pulse once more on her neck. "Her pulse is much stronger than before."

"Good to know," Fitz said quietly, seating himself on the chair in Daisy's bunk room. Jemma had just told him a few hours ago about the Daisy thing. May was dealing with Coulson, and Simmons guessed that was taking quite the while, understandably.

Jemma took the opportunity to change Daisy's leg bandages as she was still sleeping. When Daisy finally woke up, only Simmons was in the room with her.

"Huh..." Daisy mumbled, licking her lips. Her mouth felt very dry.

"Here, Daisy," Simmons said quietly, holding a cup of water in front of her mouth. Daisy took the straw in her hand and sipped.

Once she was done swallowing, she looked down at her bandages and remembered _everything_.

"Oh, God," she gasped, her heart racing. "I- "

"Shh, everything is okay," Jemma assured her. "You're fine."

But Mack. The last thing Daisy remembered was Mack...

There was a lot of milk all over the floor and Mack looked so hurt, so sad.

Oh, that's right. He'd found out.

Mack would be _heartbroken_...

And so would Coulson.

Oh, Coulson...

* * *

"And you thought you could get away without telling me?!" Coulson snapped. He and May were arguing in the Zepher after May had just told him Daisy's situation.

"Phil, Daisy would have been stripped of her rights! We might never have seen her again; they would have thrown her out of SHIELD forever!"

"Who cares?! I deserved to know this!"

May snarled. "See, _this_ is why I didn't want to tell you. I _knew_ you'd take it this way." She rolled her eyes.

"That's because _I_ care about Daisy. And if _you_..." He pointed an accusing finger at May. "...had cared enough about her, you would have come to me."

May set her jaw. "You aren't the Director anymore, Phil. You don't get to dictate everything and I don't have to tell you everything."

Coulson's nostrils flared and he clenched his fists. "Daisy is like a _daughter_ to me. She didn't deserve this...I..." His voice broke and he had to stop for a moment. "...I wish all of us could have known earlier so we could have stopped this from happening."

May rubbed his arm affectionately. "I know, Phil. We _all_ do."

* * *

Coulson sipped his coffee as he stared out the window of the Director's office. That office had once been so familiar to him, so special; it was _his_. And yet here he was; someone else was occupying it.

"What can I do for you, Coulson?" came Mace's voice as he stepped into his office, closing the door behind him.

Coulson set the coffee mug on the table. May and Simmons had sent him here for a reason. And he'd do _anything_ to protect his Daisy. "Unfortunately, Daisy Johnson isn't going to be able to be on-duty for quite the while."

Mace furrowed his brow as he sat down at his desk. "Really? She got that banged up at the prison?"

Coulson nodded. "Yeah. Agent Simmons says she has multiple injuries and that if she goes back into combat, we risk losing her forever."

"Is she still able to use her computer skills?" Mace wanted to know.

Coulson shook his head. "She can barely move right now, sir."

Mace pursed his lips. "Is she really worth staying here at SHIELD, then? Using up our medical resources, when she isn't even working for us?"

"Sir, with all due respect, she has nowhere else to go," Coulson told him. Inside, he was on fire with anger. How could Mace care so little about his Daisy?

Mace grumbled a little. "Fine. But just for now. If she starts to make a dent in our operations, we're sending her to a military facility, got it?"

Coulson nodded. "Of course. Understood, Director."

* * *

No matter how much everyone tried to comfort her, Daisy had been sobbing in her bed _all day_.

She couldn't stop thinking about Coulson and how she had probably ruined his life. Normally, she would do her rituals to relieve of her guilt and misery, but Simmons was sitting in the room with her.

She didn't care. Who cares if Jemma can see her? She can still _do_ it.

Daisy stood up way too quickly, given her condition, and rushed to the bathroom.

"Daisy!" came Jemma's voice as she followed her into the bathroom.

Daisy was vomiting into the toilet bowl.

"What's the matter?" Simmons asked gently. She held Daisy's hair back for her.

Daisy didn't respond. She just kept sobbing and throwing up on and off.

Simmons shook her head in dismay. She knew that soon, it would be May's shift to take care of Daisy. No matter how much work Jemma had to do, she knew there was no way she could leave Daisy like this, not when she had been in tears the entire morning.

* * *

On his way out of Mace's office, Coulson ran into May.

"How did it go?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Alright. I told him she wouldn't be able to work and somehow, he reluctantly said she can stay."

"A miracle, really," May quipped with a smirk. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's good to hear, though. You're the first person I've talked to today that bears good news."

Coulson knitted his eyebrows. "Really? Is it Daisy?"

May nodded somberly. "She hasn't said a word since she woke up this morning. She's just sobbing like crazy. Simmons called me and told me Daisy started vomiting. She thinks it's a side effect of the pain meds but it could just be pure emotions."

Coulson sighed sadly. "I wish I could go in there."

May pressed her lips into a thin line, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. "You know Simmons think that'll make it worse for her. You've done your part today, Phil."

He nodded, a tiny smile appearing on his face. It faded a little. "Do you think it's because the people who are caring for her are reminding her too much of her past, of Lincoln?"

May raised her eyebrows. "That is a good point. But what can we do about that?"

Coulson grinned. "I think I know _just_ the person who can help her out."

* * *

When Daisy had finally finished emptying the entire contents of her stomach, Jemma suggested she take a shower to make her feel better. She was surprised that Daisy nodded in agreement, so she grabbed Daisy whatever she might need and let her calm herself down a little.

She was still hiccuping and sniffling when she walked out of the bathroom, but she sounded better than before.

Daisy was just climbing back into her bed when a knock on the door made both women jump. Simmons got up and opened it.

Daisy found herself craning her neck to make sure it wasn't Coulson. She was relieved and surprised to see Robbie Reyes at the door.

He smiled a warm smile. "How you doing?" he asked.

Daisy stopped sobbing for once. She didn't smile, but she shut up.

"She isn't talking much," Jemma told him quietly.

He nodded, understanding, and stepped inside. Simmons shut the door behind him.

Robbie walked over to the bed. He was very respectful and even asked Daisy if he could sit on the edge of her bed.

Daisy just nodded.

He patted her foot. "So since you don't wanna talk, I think I'll just talk to you."

Daisy didn't take her eyes off of him, so Robbie took the cue to nod to Jemma, who left the bunk room to get back to work.

"I understand why you did all this..." He pointed to her protection bandages. "...to yourself. I really do."

Daisy narrowed her eyes at him.

He shrugged. "I felt responsible for a lot of things and felt like I had to settle my score, just like you. And honestly, you're kinda lucky that you're just human."

She shook her head.

He chuckled. "I know you're _In_ human but still; you can get hurt when I just can't. And you can hurt yourself and die when I can't."

She looked down, ashamed.

"Hey, Daisy," he said sternly, making her look back at him. "Use me as an example. I physically _can't_ hurt myself, meaning it wasn't meant to be for me. It wasn't meant to be for _anyone_ , Daisy, not even you. You were _never_ meant to harm yourself, no matter _how_ guilty you feel you are."

She bit her cheek, thinking. He spoke the truth and she couldn't deny it. His words had helped deeply.

"Can you come have lunch with me?" she asked him, the first words she'd said all day.

He smiled and nodded, putting an arm around her and standing up with her. "Of course I can."

* * *

Coulson and May were watching Robbie and Daisy's interactions from the hallway outside the common room. It warmed Coulson's heart to see Daisy smile as she and Robbie played a card game together.

She was getting better. Even if they were just baby steps.

* * *

"We're going to let you sleep alone tonight," Simmons said to Daisy that evening after dinner. She'd walked her back to her bunk.

Daisy nodded. "Great..." Her eyes went huge and she quickly rushed to cover her mouth with her hand, running to the bathroom.

Jemma scowled when she saw Daisy throwing up again. "Daisy, what have you- "

She grabbed her pain meds bottle from the counter and opened it, looking how many were inside.

"How many of these have you been taking at once?" she asked.

Daisy choked and leaned back from the toilet bowl, sitting on the tile floor and panting. "Like..." She winced. "...four or five."

Simmons's eyes widened. " _Daisy_ ," she scolded. "These are 200-milligram tablets! You can only take two or three at once! No wonder you're vomiting all over the place." She shoved the bottle in her pocket. "I'll be monitoring these from now on."

"Jemma," Daisy huffed, her chest heaving. She coughed. "I promise I wasn't trying... _that_. It just stopped all the pain."

Simmons scowled. "The pain?"

"The..." Daisy coughed to the side. "... _physical_ pain, Simmons. All the bruises and cuts..."

"Which you did to _yourself_ ," Simmons muttered.

Daisy sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I won't take that many again."

Jemma nodded. "Alright. I'm still taking them away from you, though."

Daisy rolled her eyes as Simmons held out her hand, helping Daisy to her feet.

"Get lots of rest, Daisy." She pointed an accusing finger at her. "And don't you _dare_ try anything stupid, got it?"

Daisy smirked and nodded. "Okay, okay."

Jemma seemed satisfied enough. She left Daisy's bunk.

As Daisy lied in bed that night, she realized how much Robbie had helped her.

She was taking baby steps.

* * *

"How is she?" Coulson asked Simmons. He and May were sitting at the table in the common room, looking over paperwork together.

Simmons had just walked in from "tucking in" Daisy. "Oh, she's alright. She threw up again, though."

May tilted her head and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Is she sick?"

Jemma raised her eyebrows as she looked down to reach into her pocket. "Depends on what definition of that word you're referring to." She took the pill bottle out of her pocket and held it up to show them. "She was taking way too many of these at once. Said it got rid of the physical pain."

Coulson scowled. " _How_ many at once?"

Simmons scoffed. "She said 'four or five', which is _way_ too much, considering the size of these tablets and her age and weight. No wonder she kept throwing up." She studied the bottle label for a minute longer then slid it back into her pocket.

May furrowed her brow. "Do you think it was intentional?"

"There's no way of knowing right now, but I'll be keeping a close eye on her and observing her behavior. It's a shame Mr. Reyes has busied himself; he really seemed to have helped her."

"At least she can't go backwards in progress," Coulson said with optimism.

Simmons sighed. "I'm not so sure about that at this point." She yawned. "Gosh, I'm getting tired. Fitz is working on something but if he comes in here can you all tell him I'm in our bunk?"

May nodded. "Of course. Go get yourself some sleep. You earned it."

Coulson gave her a warm smile and she returned it, leaving the common room.

* * *

Daisy hadn't noticed she'd thrown up again until she woke up in the middle of the night to a horrible smell. She clicked on her lamp to see her own throw-up covering the side of her bed she didn't use and even her clothes.

She groaned in frustration and gripped her stomach, noticing how queasy she felt. She had nothing left in her stomach, though, so she self-diagnosed with severe hunger. But she knew she couldn't eat; it'd come right back up.

She mumbled a few curse words under her breath and climbed out of her bed, throwing her shirt and shorts off. She angrily ripped the sheets and blanket off her bed, tossing them to the floor. She was surprised at the amount of strength she had, considering how nauseous and shaky she was.

Yeah, she definitely regretted taking that many pills at once.

She secretly wished someone would help her clean up the mess, but for one, she was half-naked, and for two, this was quite the embarrassing and childish scenario. Here she was, nearly twenty-seven years old, throwing up all over her bedsheets. Now _that_ was something worth hiding.

Daisy didn't know what to do with the dirty sheets. If she snuck out of her bunk to toss them in a laundry basket in the hallway, the night shift agents would see her half-naked and the janitors would have to deal with the gross sheets. And who even knows about the security cams?! Checking them for signs of Daisy "escaping" seemed like a very Simmons thing to do.

So she just tossed them into her personal shower stall, turning on the hot water and spraying the bedding. She grabbed a few towels from her cabinet and tried scrubbing the puke off. The _smell_ in itself was enough to make her want to go and vomit again.

She couldn't. Nothing was in her stomach anymore.

Once she was satisfied with the immense, disgusting scrubbing she was doing, she hung up the bedding on the shower curtain rack to dry. She wanted desperately to take a shower herself but didn't want to be in that bathroom _any_ longer because of the smell.

She passed out in her chair before she even got a chance to change her clothes.

* * *

Daisy was awoken by a loud knock on the door. If she had to guess, whoever was behind it had been knocking for quite the while.

She frantically shot up out of the chair, stumbling backward a little from the sudden movement, and rushed to her dresser, trying to throw on some clothing. But before she could get a shirt on, May burst inside.

"Excuse me!" Daisy hissed, crossing her arms over her shoulders in an attempt to cover herself up.

May rolled her eyes. "You weren't answering the door. And stop whining; I've seen worse."

Daisy set her jaw before finally sliding on a t-shirt. May was scrunching up her nose.

"Why are your bedsheets stripped?" she asked, squinting.

Daisy rubbed her sore neck from her awkward sleeping position. She yawned. "I felt like getting clean sheets. It's been a while."

"You've only been here a few days," May said.

Geez, why did May have to notice _everything_?!

She turned to Daisy. "Did you get blood all over them again?"

"I didn't cut—" Daisy started.

May was once again grabbing Daisy's arm and inspecting her wrists.

She narrowed her eyes at the girl. "You'd better not be lying to me. If Jemma finds any on your thi—"

"Okay, I get it!" Daisy snapped. "I promise I didn't last night. I'll tell you the truth, May; I threw up all over my sheets and quite frankly; I'd like a shower."

May went into Daisy's bathroom and scrunched her nose up at the smell of the vomit. "We'll definitely get a janitor in here. Why'd you try to handle this all by yourself, Daisy?"

Daisy shrugged. "I think that's obvious. You all needed sleep and this was supposed to be my first independent night."

She coughed to the side into her elbow, concerning May. "I wanted to anyway, but now I'm _definitely_ making Simmons run a workup."

"I'm fine. Just—"

"Just _what_?!"

"Stop babying me! Can't you see I'm getting better?! I'm not a child!"

"I know you're not."

"Then stop treating me like one! You act like you can't trust me with my own responsi—"

"Because we can't!" May interrupted. Daisy's nostrils flared. "You tried to kill yourself, Daisy."

"It wasn't exactly that."

"I don't care _what_ it was. We can't trust you with yourself just yet. You even tried to overdose! And you'd _better_ be happy with the treatment we're giving you; it could be a _lot_ worse than this."

Daisy sighed. "I know," she said quietly. "And I _am_ grateful. Please don't forget that."

May's expression softened a little, and she gently caressed Daisy's arm. "I care deeply about you Daisy. I just hate to see you do such terrible things to yourself. You don't deserve that."

Before Daisy could utter a word, May raised her index finger to shush her. "Not another word," she said to the younger woman.

* * *

Once Daisy had finished her shower in the women's locker room, she went to the lab like May had instructed. Sure enough, Simmons and Krimson (the two science agents who knew of her condition) were waiting for her in one of the private rooms.

She groaned when Jemma handed her a scratchy hospital gown.

"Seriously?!" she muttered.

Simmons crossed her arms and shrugged, but gave no verbal response.

Once she was all situated, Krimson checked her temperature while Simmons listened to her heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Krimson finished pretty quickly but Jemma seemed to be taking longer than one should take with such a routine task. She pressed the cold cylinder to her skin, making Daisy shiver from the sudden chills.

Jemma's brow was slowly furrowing.

"What is it?" Daisy asked.

Simmons looked at Krimson, who was holding a clipboard and pen. "Heart rate is nearly 200 BPM," she said to the less experienced med agent.

"Her resting is 120, correct?" Krimson asked as he recorded the information.

Simmons nodded, pressing her fingers to Daisy's neck.

"That kind of hurts," Daisy mumbled, frustrated at the two scientists for speaking as if she wasn't there.

"Too bad," Simmons retorted, removing her hand from Daisy's neck then taking the clipboard from Krimson, studying it.

"What the hell is wrong?" Daisy wanted to know.

Krimson looked up at Daisy. "Your heart rate is just way too fast," he told her.

"Yeah, I got that part. Why is that so concerning to you all? Did you ever consider that it might be because of the sheer cold from wearing this paper thing..." She shifted her weight on the exam table, the gown making a crinkling noise.

Jemma pursed her lips at the clipboard. She finally set it down. "Daisy, could you lie down for me?"

Daisy nodded, doing as she was told.

"Go ahead and get the blood sample," Simmons said to Krimson as she put on gloves.

"Yes, ma'am," Krimson replied, gathering the materials.

"Great. More needles," Daisy muttered quietly.

Jemma ignored her snarky comment as she unwrapped Daisy's stomach bandage. Once she trashed it, she started to feel her stomach.

Daisy grunted. "You trying to make me throw up again?"

"No. I'm trying to find out how bad your overdosage was," she said matter-of-factly.

"Overdos... _oh_ ," Daisy though out loud. "You think I—"

Simmons pressed down on her stomach again, eliciting another grunt from her patient. "Sorry. We don't accuse you of overdosing on _purpose_ , but nonetheless, you _did_ take too many pills, which is the definition of overdosing. If it's as bad as I think it is, you might have an ulcer. Acetaminophen can do that to you."

Daisy let out a little yelp when she felt a needle poke into the skin of her inner elbow. She had forgotten that Krimson was doing the blood test.

"Sorry about that," he said to her as he watched the vial fill up.

She turned back to Simmons, who was removing her gloves and helping her to sit up. "So...what is it?" she asked.

Jemma sighed. "Not an ulcer."

Daisy looked from Simmons to Krimson then back to Simmons. "That's a good thing, right?!"

Jemma pressed her lips together. "No. It's not."

Daisy turned her head back to Krimson when she felt him grabbing her hand. He had put a pulse oximeter on her finger. The heart monitors started beeping.

"It's still 198 BPM," Simmons said. "That's not good. I'd like to keep a close watch on you, Daisy. No physical activity for the rest of the day."

"Are you ser—" Daisy stopped herself when she saw something even more interesting. A scalpel was lying on the table a few feet away from her. It had been so long since...

"Daisy!" Simmons said for the fourth time, snapping her fingers at her friend.

Daisy finally snapped out of her daze. She blinked a few times, directing her attention back to Jemma. "Yeah?"

"Where'd you go there?" Krimson asked.

"Yeah, your heart rate went up a little," Simmons said. She squinted in the direction Daisy had been looking.

She walked over to the scalpel and held it up. "Are you _serious_ , Daisy? _This_ is what you were looking at?!" She shook her head, putting its cover on and tossing it into her lab coat pocket.

Daisy was once again ashamed of herself. "Sorry," she said quietly. "Couldn't help myself."

Jemma sighed. "It's alright. Just _please_ don't..." She stopped herself.

After a moment, Simmons continued: "I'd like to check your thigh wounds, if you wouldn't mind."

Daisy nodded in confirmation and let Krimson and Jemma remove the bandages.

Simmons smiled a little smile. "No new wounds. I'm proud of you, Daisy," she said.

Daisy feigned a smile. In reality, that's all she really wanted to do anymore; get new wounds.

Krimson put a stinging ointment on the wounds, making Daisy cringe.

"Sorry about that," he said to her.

Once they had her all bandaged back up, Krimson left to go get the blood test results while Simmons handed Daisy her clothes.

Once Krimson came back, he handed the slip of paper with the results on it to Jemma.

She squinted. "Too much acetaminophen in your system, just as I suspected," she declared. "No more pain meds for you for a while, Daisy. And no physical activity for the rest of the day, alright?" Daisy nodded. "Well then." Jemma clapped her hands together. "We'll give you some nausea medication so you can get some food in your system. After that, we're done here."

Daisy smiled. "Thanks, Simmons."

"Of course," she replied as she handed Krimson the syringe.

Daisy practically hissed at the young man when he injected the medicine into her shoulder.

"Sorry," he mumbled again, tossing it in the sharps container then putting a bandaid on her. "All done." He undid the pulse ox on her finger.

"I'll walk her back to her bunk," Simmons told him.

Once they got to Daisy's bunk, Daisy was surprised to see May waiting for them at the door.

"Arms out," May said to the Inhuman.

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Arms. Out," May repeated.

Daisy narrowed her eyes but obeyed. May started to search her.

"Okay, what is this about?!" Daisy demanded. "You _search_ me now?!"

May pulled an unused glass vial out of each of her jeans pockets.

"Care to explain?" May hissed, practically shoving her into the room.

Jemma shut the door behind them as May angrily forced Daisy into a chair.

"Explain yourself," she demanded.

Daisy swallowed, guilty. "I...wanted something to drink my water with," she lied.

May scoffed and Jemma rolled her eyes. "What did you _really_ take those for? You wouldn't have been secretive about getting a water cup, now would you?" Simmons asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look," Daisy said. "When you turned your back as I changed back into my clothes, I had to take the opportunity to grab what I could find."

"So you could cut yourself again," May finished for her.

Daisy sighed but gave in, nodding in agreement.

"You were going to break these and try again?" Jemma inquired, pointing to the glass vials in May's hands. Daisy could see the hurt in both women's eyes.

Daisy sighed. "Yes..." That word stayed on her tongue for longer than usual.

Jemma shook her head in disbelief, but nodded at May.

"What?" Daisy asked, confused.

May walked over to Daisy's newly-made bed and motioned for the girl to come toward her. "Sit," she instructed, and Daisy obeyed. May grabbed her wrist then took a pair of cuffs, attaching one to her wrist and the other to her bed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Daisy exclaimed. She pulled at the cuffs with no luck. "I'm not a prisoner!"

"No, but this is to protect you," Jemma explained. "I let May know beforehand so she could prepare."

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "You knew I took the vials?"

Jemma scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Of course I did. I was already suspicious when you were eyeing that scalpel like it was your celebrity crush. We had to make a show about it, though, so you'd learn your lesson."

"Please. I can't sleep like this," Daisy pleaded.

"If you've behaved by nighttime, we'll consider losing the cuffs," May told her.

Daisy mumbled to herself.

Simmons shrugged. "It's either this or some strong meds."

Daisy's eyes widened. " _Please_. Not the meds!" She knew from her experience in foster homes and orphanages that once you got prescribed the meds, it was hard to go back.

Jemma raised her own chin curtly. "Then deal with the cuffs and think about what you've done. And for God's sake, Daisy, take it easy."

With that, Jemma left her bunk.

Daisy sighed as she attempted to take her socks and shoes off, without much luck, considering the cuffs. May approached her, squatting down and taking her shoes and socks off for her.

"I'll be right here if you need something," May told her, sitting herself on the chair. She took out a magazine.

Daisy sighed. "Alright," she said quietly.

No matter how stern or stubborn they were, Daisy was glad to have a family that loved her so much they were willing to go the extra mile to protect her.

* * *

Daisy wiggled her toes as she slightly kicked her legs. She was getting _very_ antsy just sitting handcuffed to her bed like that. She really wanted to go out and help them with their missions after she recovered from the overdosage. She just hoped Simmons would _let_ her.

And then after she finished the mission she wasn't sure what she wanted after that. She didn't exactly want to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. again; they had reminded her of how much they cared. She wasn't sure she wanted to give that up again.

May yawned. "You getting tired of this yet?" she asked the younger woman.

"You think?" Daisy quipped. She bit her lip. "Look, May, this is crazy embarrassing, but could you un-cuff me for a minute? I really have to—"

"Have to what? You're supposed to stay here, Daisy."

"I know, May. But I'm twenty-seven and I feel like I shouldn't have to twist your arm to let me use the restroom."

May's face remained a blank expression.

"Nothing, really?!" Daisy muttered. Her heart was already too fast from the meds and it was making her need to go so much more.

Luckily, Fitz saved her by entering the room. "How is it going in here?" he asked cheerfully.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Wondrous."

"How did she do?" he asked May, turning to her.

May nodded. "She did well."

Daisy pursed her lips. "So..."

Fitz interrupted her: "It's eight PM. Jemma thinks we can let you out now."

May nodded again. "I agree."

"Good," Daisy said as Fitz walked over and started to undo her cuffs. "'Cause I've been waiting..." She stood up, ready to head to the bathroom.

"Hold up," Fitz said, taking something out of his pocket. He handed her a small plastic cup with a lid. "Jemma wants a sample."

Daisy rolled her eyes, groaning. "Great. Just great..." She continued to mumble curse words to herself as she shut herself into the restroom.

May smirked. "She's getting more like herself every day."

Fitz nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "Jemma thinks that after she's recovered from the meds, she might be able to go on a mission."

May raised her eyebrows. "Wow. That's...good!"

Fitz bit his cheek. "I know it seems fast, but Simmons really thinks it'll help her."

"If that's what she thinks, I trust her," May said.

The bathroom door opened and a grumpy Daisy stomped out. "Want me to take it to the lab?"

"Nah ah ah, not so fast," Fitz snapped, taking the cup from her. "You aren't gonna even get the chance this time."

Daisy shrugged. "I don't care. Doesn't bother me anymore," she lied.

"It clearly does," May whispered, making Daisy raise her eyebrows at her.

Fitz left and May followed, both having some work to do.

Daisy yawned, sipping some water then sitting on her bed. She was getting tired of staying in her bunk. They never said she _couldn't_ leave, did they...?

Daisy left her bunk to take a little walk around the base.

She made it to the common room and quickly snuck a pack of chips. She didn't want to stay, for fear of someone scolding her.

She found herself getting out of breath easily. She guessed it was just the meds.

Just the meds.

"Daisy Johnson?" came an intimidating male voice.

Daisy looked up to see Jeffrey Mace standing in the hallway with his little PR henchman. They looked like they had just come from dinner.

She audibly gulped.

"You've gotten better," Mace said cheerfully. "You're up and about, aren't you?"

She nodded, feigning a smile. "Much better, sir."

He grinned. "Well then. I'm sure you'll be back to missions soon."

"Yes, yessir. Soon."

"I look forward to it. Take it easy, Miss Johnson." He gave her one last smile before going on his way.

 _That was horrifying,_ Daisy thought.

She felt like she had just ran a mile, simply from walking. She stumbled toward the lab, hoping she might find someone or something to help.

"Hello, Daisy!" Simmons said cheerfully. She and Fitz were working at a desk together.

"Simm-Simmons..." Daisy stuttered as she tried and failed to smile back at her friends.

"What's the matter?" Jemma asked, concerned.

Daisy's eyes appeared to roll back into her head and her legs went limp. Luckily, Fitz caught her before she fell.

"Daisy!" he shouted. Jemma grabbed a swivel chair and she helped Fitz to sit Daisy down.

Daisy opened her eyes a little. "Whew, glad you caught me," she joked, coughing.

Simmons eyed Fitz, concerned, and went away to grab something.

"What happened?" asked a random lab tech.

Fitz shooed her away. "We've got this under control."

The lab tech scowled but left them alone.

Fitz squatted in front of Daisy and took her hand, gently patting it. "What happened, Daisy?" he asked her.

"I don't know, I..." She coughed into her elbow.

Jemma came back with a stethoscope. She switched positions with Fitz, the latter helping Daisy lean forward so Jemma could listen to her breathing from her back.

"Deep breath in," Simmons instructed.

Daisy tried to obey but her breathing was staggered. Fitz kept holding his friend's hand but her grip was getting weaker and weaker. He eyed his girlfriend, as if to ask her what was happening.

Simmons knitted her eyebrows as she continued to listen to Daisy's breathing. Unsatisfied, she transferred the cylinder to Daisy's chest to listen more to her heart.

"It's still beating like crazy. Your resting time should've helped this," she said. She took the instrument out of her ears and set it on the counter. She put her hands on her hips. "Did you do any physical activity, Daisy?"

Daisy coughed. "I just walked around a little..."

Jemma scoffed. "It seems that was too much for you to handle. You have to listen to me when I tell you to do things, Daisy."

Daisy coughed again, this time putting her hand over her mouth. When she pulled her hand away at the end of the coughing fit, it had blood on it. "Um..." she said nervously. She realized the nauseous feeling was coming back.

Simmons's eyes widened. Fitz let go of Daisy's hand, stepped away, and came back with a blue cloth. Daisy gratefully took it and wiped her hand off.

"I might have missed the ulcer yesterday..." Jemma thought out loud. "I would say we should get an endoscopy, but I think you can get away with an x-ray. With your heart's condition right now, I don't think putting you under is a good idea."

Simmons was saying too many medical terms at once. "Mm hmm," Daisy mumbled.

"Hey," Fitz said, taking the cloth and gently wiping her hand for her. She had sort of failed at it earlier.

Jemma alerted two lab techs who brought a stretcher. They lifted Daisy onto it and brought it into a private room. They started to try and prep her for x-ray, but Jemma knew they'd see her bandages and start to question things. She demanded that she prep Daisy herself.

Daisy dry-heaved, only producing a few drops of blood. "This sucks, Simmons," she said.

"I know. I'm sorry," she said as she pulled off Daisy's sweater for her. She tossed it to the side and started to get the x-ray materials ready. Fitz gently lifted Daisy as Simmons slid the board underneath her. Fitz laid her back down over the board.

"Drink this for me," Simmons told Daisy gently. She handed her a cup of Barium and she drank it.

She gagged. "This is disgusting."

Fitz chuckled, holding Daisy's hand again. "I know. I had that when I was a kid once."

Simmons took a nasal cannula and placed it on her face to help Daisy breathe a little. "Just relax," she told her.

Simmons laid the lead apron on Daisy then nodded at Fitz, who followed her behind the protective wall.

A radiation tech entered the room and set up the machine, then took the x-rays.

"I'll study the results, thank you," Simmons snapped at the tech, who rolled his eyes and left.

Simmons took the apron off Daisy and Fitz helped remove the board again. She handed Daisy her sweater again and upon seeing her struggle with it, she pulled it down over her head for her.

"It is an ulcer," she whispered to Fitz when she looked at the results on the computer. She sighed. "Gosh, I wish I would've taken these x-rays earlier today."

"How bad is it?" Fitz half-asked himself, squinting at the screen.

"She'll need some anti-acids and rest for the heart. I'm glad to see no issues with her heart or lungs on this x-ray, though. At least there's some good to this." She sighed. "It just makes me wonder if she was lying to me about the amount of ibuprofen pills she took. Four or five at once wouldn't normally cause this bad of an ulcer."

"I know. Jemma, what if it was on purpose?" Fitz asked wide-eyed.

Jemma shook her head. "I just don't know. I doubt she'd want to be in this much pain though..." she said, watching as Daisy writhed a little.

"Want to keep her here overnight?" Fitz asked.

She nodded. "I'd better. But we've got to keep her hidden from Mace. So maybe the containment rooms downstairs. Daisy?" she said louder so her Inhuman friend could hear.

Daisy lifted her head from the gurney ever so slightly to signal that she was listening.

"Would you be alright with spending the night in the containment room?" she asked.

Daisy nodded, coughing a little. "That's fine," she croaked.

Fitz yawned.

Jemma caressed Fitz's arm. "Why don't you head to bed? I'll take care of her. You've had a long day."

He smiled and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Alright, Hon. Thanks."

She smiled at him as he left.

"Get a room," Daisy muttered as Simmons approached her.

Jemma chuckled, helping her to sit up. "Come on," she said gently. She helped her to stand, a strong arm still wrapped around her.

Once they got to the containment room, Jemma deposited Daisy onto the bed and hooked her up to the oxygen tube and a pulse ox. She then helped Daisy take the anti-acids and changed her into some comfortable pajamas.

"You feel better?" she asked her friend when she tucked the blanket over her.

Daisy nodded, a tiny smile appearing on her face. "Yeah. I'm sorry for walking around."

"It's okay, Daisy," she said quietly. "It was my fault for not checking hard enough for an ulcer earlier."

Daisy swallowed, unable to answer at the moment.

"Get some sleep," Jemma declared, checking her monitors one last time before standing up. "Feel better, Daisy."

"I will, thanks to you..." Daisy mumbled, her eyelids getting heavy.

Simmons smiled and left the containment room, turning the lights off for her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE BE CAREFUL while reading this and get help if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues to the ones mentioned in this story.


	3. Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy's secret is discovered and she finally gets some proper help.

Daisy yawned as she sat in her bunk, on her laptop. The team desperately needed help with the mission of going into Momentum labs so she was allowed to help a little with the technical backup. Simmons was reluctant, but she finally agreed.

It had only been a day and a half or so since Daisy had had that ulcer scare, so she was still recovering. She was much better, but still recovering.

Still recovering in other ways, too.

She was alone in her bunk. Alone. No one was monitoring her. As far as they knew, she was just hacking into security systems for them.

She started to run the automatic systems so she could take a quick break to satisfy her cravings.

She walked over to the bathroom and found a glass cup Mack had left when he'd brought her water last night.

Oh, she wanted to smash it...

It happened before she could think about doing it. She gently quaked it against the wall, making it break into smaller, sharper pieces.

She picked one up. It looked at her so menacingly yet so satisfactorily, like it wanted her but she also wanted it.

A loud voice screaming in her comms interrupted her session. She felt really dizzy as she grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her bleeding wrist. She only managed to finish one arm but that would have to do.

"What is it?" she asked, sliding her headset back on.

Fitz's voice was in comms. _"Where'd you go?"_

"An issue with comms," she lied. "They're back up now."

_"Well, I just wanted to let you know we made it into the lab. You sure everything's okay?"_

"Yep, Fitz. Don't you worry." Daisy mentally hit herself for sounded a little exasperated at the end there.

A few hours or so later, Daisy hadn't heard anything from the team. A knock on her door made her stand up and answer it, but not before sliding a long-sleeved jacket on.

Agent Burrows was waiting outside. "You're needed the Director's office. There's been a complication he needs to update you on."

Daisy nodded and followed him to the office.

"Welcome. Glad to have you back to work," Mace said to her, stepping out from behind his desk and turning on the big screen in his office. Burrows remained standing "on guard" by the door. "Sadly, agents Fitz and Coulson and Mr. Reyes vanished while on the mission; some accident with the machines. They're coming back now and are going to touch down in an hour or so. Aida and Radcliffe are working on a solution."

Daisy raised her eyebrows. He had just _piled_ that information on her. "Wow. That—" She swallowed. "I hope they're alright."

Mace waved his hand around. "Well, you know. Aida and Radcliffe will figure this out."

She slapped her thighs. "Well, I'd better get back to—"

"Just a moment, Daisy." He chuckled when he saw the girl's face turn a pasty white in fear. "I was just wondering if you could check this computer's systems for us. It isn't working the best."

"Of course, yeah," Daisy said, relieved that she wasn't in trouble.

Mace nodded, satisfied, and sat back down at his desk, grabbing some paperwork that needed signatures.

She sat down at his second desk and started to search the computer. From pure habit, she nonchalantly reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, not realizing that her jacket's cuffs were loose.

Burrows scowled when he glimpsed blood on her arm as the jacket sleeve fell a little. When she dropped her arm again to start typing he thought he might have imagined it.

"Um, Miss Johnson?" he asked.

She shifted her gaze to him. "Yes?"

"Your arm...?" he sputtered.

"What about it?" Daisy asked, raising her eyebrows.

He walked over to her, lifting her arm. "It's bleeding."

She pulled away from him, directing her attention back to the computer. "It's fine."

Mace furrowed his brow as he looked up from his work. He could tell she was hiding something the other day when he had bumped into her in the hallway. "Daisy? You alright?"

She looked at Mace, rolling her eyes. "Of course I am. Now, if you'll let me, I'm fixing your computer for you."

Daisy didn't notice Burrows tapping his earpiece.

A few minutes later, she stood unceremoniously from the desk. "All fixed," she declared.

Mace nodded at her. "You're dismissed. Keep an eye out to see if you can assist with finding our missing agents."

She nodded. "Of course."

As she left his office, she was encountered by two large guards.

"Um, excuse me," she said to them, trying to push through without being rude.

Without a word, one shoved her roughly into the wall, making her head jerk forward.

"Hey!" she shouted. Mace and Burrows both rushed outside.

While one had her pinned against the wall, the other guard roughly grabbed her jacket sleeve and quite literally ripped it off, tearing the fabric and exposing her newest cut wounds.

Mace was gawking as he looked at the blood. "So _this_ is what you were hiding from us? Is this why you couldn't work earlier?"

Daisy opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Burrows.

"It was, sir," he declared.

"BS!" Daisy hissed. "How could you know?!"

Burrows raised a single eyebrow at Daisy and handed a tablet to Mace.

"These are the security feeds in the common room a few days back," the Director mumbled. His eyes widened and he looked from Daisy to the tablet then back to Daisy. "This _is_ what you and your friends have been hiding."

Daisy's nostrils flared. She hated Burrows. With passion.

Jeffrey nodded to the guards. "Bring her to medical then toss her into containment once she's stitched up." He glared at the angry Inhuman. "I'll figure out what to do with her later."

"Yes, sir," the guards said as they started to drag Daisy down the hallway.

She tried to quake one but he twisted her arm into a _very_ uncomfortable position. "Don't struggle," he instructed. "You'll just get yourself into deeper trouble."

Daisy groaned in frustration. When they got to the lab she was met with a glare from Krimson, the _first_ one to discover her secret.

She was mentally slapping herself for not being more careful earlier. She should have at least gotten a tighter jacket.

A med agent cleaned up the blood for her and stitched up all five of the new cuts.

Daisy started to try and leave when the med agent began preparing a syringe with God knows what in it.

"W-What is that...?" Daisy started.

The med woman tapped the bubbles out of it. "A sedative so you won't try this again."

Daisy raised her arms to stop her. "No, please...No, I've slept too much these past few days, please..."

The med agent kept a blank expression as she nodded at the guards, who held Daisy down as she injected the syringe into her arm.

Daisy let out one last angry breath before her eyes rolled back into her head and her body went limp.

* * *

Coulson was roaming the base, hoping to find something to help them get back into reality.

That's when he ran into Burrows and Mace.

They were talking to a med agent woman. Normally, he would have ignored the situation, but because he was invisible to their eyes and because they were talking about Daisy, he decided to listen in.

"How many cuts were there?" Mace asked.

 _He had found out about her harming herself?! How?!_ Coulson thought with alarm.

"Five fresh, and multiple older ones. I also found some on her thighs. I'd guess she's been harming herself for months now," the med agent replied.

"And agents May, Simmons, Coulson, Mack, and Fitz knew before we found out," Mace said to them. "That isn't good."

The med agent nodded. "Had we known earlier, we could have locked her up much sooner."

 _They've locked her up?!_ Coulson thought.

Mace pursed his lips. "Well, what can you do? It's already happened." He sighed. "Agent Nguyen, you're dismissed."

She nodded at him politely before going on her way.

Burrows turned to Mace. "Sir..." Burrows started.

"I don't know if she's more of a threat to SHIELD or if she's more a threat to herself," Mace thought out loud. He sighed. "But we need her. We need muscle."

Burrows nodded. "I agree, sir."

"Keep her locked up until I have a talk with the rest of the team who knew about this. For now, I've got missing agents to deal with," he said, turning on his heel and striding away.

 _Damn it,_ Coulson thought.

* * *

Daisy hazily opened her eyes and saw the all-too-familiar blank walls of the Inhuman containment room. She tugged at her arms only to find out that she was restrained to the bed with soft straps.

"Damn it!" she hissed quietly. She sat up and luckily found no straps on her ankles. She could get out, right?

Right?!

She was just so frustrated. How could she have allowed herself to be detained in here, like a sick animal?

Maybe that's really all she was at this point, a sick animal.

She must've been sleeping for a very long time because the cell's door opened to reveal Coulson and May.

"Coulson told me you were locked in here!" May exclaimed, rushing to Daisy and undoing her wrist straps. She smoothed Daisy's hair for her. "I can't believe he locked you in here. That was inhumane."

Daisy sighed in agreement.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Daisy said to Coulson a moment later. "How did you all figure it out?"

He sucked in a breath. "It took a hot minute and quite some work. But Aida saved us."

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "I'm glad, but...she still gives me the heebie-jeebies," she said with a mock-shudder.

Coulson chuckled, holding out a hand and helping her up.

She stumbled a little, eliciting concerned looks from both her "parents".

"Sedative," she told them, and they immediately understood.

As they walked out, Daisy asked, "How did you all get me out, exactly? Did you do some convincing, or..."

Coulson audibly gulped. "Nope. We're sneaking you out. He doesn't know we know where you are. I did some...ghost snooping, I'd say."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Ghost...what?!"

Coulson was about to answer when suddenly they ran into an agent.

He scowled at the trio. "Where are you all going with her?" he asked, motioning to Daisy. He looked at his tablet then back to them. "She's supposed to be in containment."

"What's going on here?" came a new voice. Coulson groaned when Mace walked up to them.

"Aren't you supposed to be in your office?" May asked, angry.

"I was just coming to speak with the people who lied to me about Daisy's condition, namely Phil." Both men shot glares at each other. "And I suppose you all decided to let her out of containment?" He nodded at the agent, who grabbed Daisy's arms and pinned them behind her back.

"You know I can quake you, right?" Daisy muttered. She rolled her eyes when his grip didn't loosen.

"Look, Mace, Daisy doesn't need to be locked up. I know she harmed herself again today but that doesn't mean she isn't getting better. This is just a habit she has, there's no way to- "

"We need her, Phil," Mace interrupted. He gestured to Daisy. "She can't just bleed out before she can help us defeat Mr. Murrow."

"I'm not trying to kill myself," Daisy insisted.

Mace raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "You sure about that, Daisy? Sure _seems_ like it." Daisy set her jaw but didn't talk back. "Whatever it is," Mace said, dropping his arms to his side. "It can't continue. If you want to be let out of containment, Daisy, then you have to agree to therapy and medication."

Daisy let out a frustrated breath when the agent finally let go of her. "I've never had a good experience with therapists."

"Get used to it," Mace said sternly. "I hope to get you back on duty in the next day, so please stop at the med bay on your way back. I'll have someone there ready to evaluate you." He looked to May and Coulson. "Could one of you escort her?"

May nodded. "I will." She nodded at Daisy and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her past the group of men and starting down the hallway.

"May, I can't see another therapist in my life, I..." Daisy started once they began to get close to the lab. She swallowed. "I can't."

"Daisy," May said sternly, pulling her out of the sea of agents and putting her hands on her shoulders. "I know you don't. But maybe Mace is right. Clearly, you aren't getting better." She motioned to her newly bandaged arm. "Maybe it's time for a change in treatment methods."

Daisy sighed, a little tear escaping her eye.

"Hey," May said gently, wiping the tear from her cheek. "You're gonna get through this. We're _always_ here for you. We're your family; that's what we're here for."

"I'm so sorry I abandoned you," Daisy croaked, sniffling.

A corner of May's lip rose. "I know you're sorry." She gently rubbed Daisy's arm. "But we will always care about you no matter what. We're past that; you're back with us now."

Daisy looked up, curious. "Am I an agent...?"

May shrugged. "Not officially. But I'm sure you will be soon enough."

"What does that mean..."

"Come on," May interrupted, nudging in the direction of the med lab with her head. "Let's go."

* * *

"Name?" the head psych agent asked Daisy. Her name was Agent Jamison, and she was quite the uptight person, Daisy could tell.

"Daisy Johnson."

Jamison raised her eyebrows, looking up from the laptop. "Quake?"

Daisy scoffed. "Yes."

May looked down at her pager. She looked to Jamison and Daisy. "Is it alright if I head out? I'm needed elsewhere."

Jamison nodded, looking back at her computer. "Of course, Agent May."

Once May was gone, Jamison leaned against the counter as she continued to question Daisy. She was chewing minty gum and the sound of her chewing drove Daisy crazy. "Alright, birthdate?"

Daisy had to take a second to think. That date often changed in her life. "Um, July 2, 1988."

Jamison nodded, checking the information on the laptop. "Are you taking any medications?"

Daisy was getting impatient. She stood from the waiting room chair. "I'm sorry, don't you all already have this information on file?!" she asked.

Jamison rolled her eyes. " _Yes_ ," she hissed, not taking her eyes off the computer.

"Then why..."

Jamison tapped the counter. "Hands."

"What..."

" _Hands_ ," she demanded.

Daisy scowled, annoyed, but put her hands on the counter. Just as she expected, Jamison rolled down her sleeves and checked the cuts.

"Just making sure you're the right person," Jamison mumbled, directing her attention back to the computer screen. "Yep, that's you. Multiple reports of self-harm and a recent NSAID overdose, causing ulcers."

Daisy was embarrassed. "That's me," she mumbled quietly.

Jamison finally clicked off the laptop and reached under the counter, grabbing a clipboard and standing up. She started to write a few things on it; all the while Daisy was drumming her fingers impatiently on the counter.

Jamison glared at Daisy before looking back down at the clipboard.

"Alright, I'm recommending prescribing you antidepressants and/or benzazepines and therapy sessions right away, but I'll consult Agent Simmons. She seems to have been treating you in secret for most of this time." Another angry glare.

It took all of Daisy's might not to say something snarky back, like, _This is exactly why we kept it a secret._

* * *

Simmons stormed toward the psych ward as soon as she heard about Daisy. She had just gotten back from her strange experience with Vijay Nadeer but Fitz would have to wait.

Daisy's eyes widened when she saw her angry friend storm into the room. She immediately stood from her chair and raised her arms in defense. "Jemma, calm down, it's f- "

"Fine? _Really?!_ " She stormed straight up to her and poked her in the shoulder. "You got yourself discovered, exposing _all_ of us who were trying to protect you."

"Simmons..."

"No, Daisy. I thought you were over this." She looked at her bandage, which was now already bloodied.

Simmons sighed, a tiny tear escaping. She motioned the "come here" sign and pulled Daisy into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Jemma," Daisy whispered.

"It's okay," she said quietly, gently rubbing her back. She pulled away and sighed. "Let's just hope this new treatment method works, hm?"

Daisy sighed. "I suppose."

Jemma walked up to the counter and talked to Jamison for a few minutes.

"I'd better go talk to Fitz, let him know I'm okay," Simmons said to Jamison. She left the area to go do what she said.

"What did you all decide upon?" Daisy asked Jamison.

"Simmons agrees on tricyclic antidepressants for now. She also thinks daily therapy would be beneficial," Jamison replied, recording the information on her computer.

Daisy sighed. "Awesome," she mumbled.

"Go ahead and get some rest in your bunk. Your new therapist will be there to wake you up in a few hours with your meds."

Daisy nodded, desperately wanting to sleep a little.

* * *

"Good morning, Johnson," came a voice. Daisy sat up in her bed to see a tall woman she'd never seen before walk into her bunk, shutting the door behind her.

Daisy scowled before remembering what was happening. "Oh, you're my therapist," she said.

The woman nodded, walking up to her and holding out her hand to shake hands with her. "I'm Dr. Littmann. I'm SHIELD's new psychologist, in case you haven't heard of me before."

Daisy raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "No, I can't say I have. Nice to meet you, Dr. Littmann," she said, trying to be as polite as possible.

Littmann grabbed the chair and sat by Daisy's bed. She handed her the bottle of antidepressants. "You take two a day; one in the morning at breakfast, one in the evening at dinner."

Daisy grabbed one. "Can I go ahead and take the evening one?"

Littmann nodded. "Yep."

Daisy sipped it down with some water.

"So, Daisy, tell me: how are you feeling right now?" Littmann asked in a classic therapist-tone.

Daisy chuckled. "Getting started _right_ away, are we?"

Littmann smiled. "Why not? Answer the question."

Daisy sighed. "I mean, fine, I guess. I always feel _fine_."

Littmann knitted her eyebrows. "Doesn't your arm hurt? Or does that pain make you feel better, in a way?"

The Inhuman swallowed. "I think it's the latter."

"Thank you for being honest. That's very important, and gives me hope for you, Daisy."

Daisy smirked. "Wondrous," she quipped sarcastically.

Littmann looked down at the papers in her hands. "Your previous psych evals did say you were one to cope with humor. What changed when you decided to cope by harming yourself?"

"It wasn't exactly a coping mechanism. It was more of a...punishment."

"A punishment?" she echoed.

"Yep. A way to...get myself back."

"Why are you mad at yourself, exactly?"

"Oh, I think that's obvious."

Littmann just raised her eyebrows.

Daisy sighed. "The Hive. I may not have had full control over myself when he swayed me, but at least I was still in there. I was still in there as I was beating Mack, as I choked Fitz. And then..." Her voice broke. "...And then Lincoln sacrificed himself for me. All this bloodshed because of _me_. I had to make up for it. I left SHIELD because all it did was remind me of Lincoln and of the terrible things I did. And that way, I could defeat the Watchdogs and do some good in my life."

"Yes, but how did that turn into harming yourself?"

Daisy bit her lip. "It didn't feel like enough. Compared to what I had done, doing good wasn't good enough. I had to punish myself, too."

"Were your intentions ever to kill yourself?"

Daisy shook her head. "Not with the cutting. That was just for pain."

"Then why did you sacrifice yourself at the prison?"

"I..." She sighed deeply. "...Extreme measures of good, I suppose."

Littmann folded her hands on her lap. "Are you sure about that? It really seems like you wanted to die in that situation."

"Maybe a little bit, but that wasn't my primary intention. I...I had to fight them myself. I couldn't let more of my teammates, I couldn't let Coulson and May, get hurt because of me."

"So you let yourself get hurt instead."

Daisy rubbed her chin. "I guess," she said quietly.

* * *

After a while, Daisy had finished her first therapy session with Dr. Littmann. She had to admit; she was already feeling better than before from the antidepressants.

She decided to go to the common room to get a bite to eat. She found May and Mack.

"How you feeling?" May asked her when she walked in.

Daisy nodded. "Better."

Mack smiled. "Good to hear it, Tremors."

Daisy half-smiled. "Yep." She grabbed a sandwich from the fridge.

"What's the matter, Daze?" Mack asked her a few moments later, seating himself next to her at the table.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm _fine_ , Mack. Nothing's wrong."

"Something clearly is," he repeated.

"MACK!" Daisy hissed. "Nothing is wrong!" She huffed and stood up from the table abruptly, taking her food with her and storming out of the common room.

Mack sighed. "What did I do wrong?" he asked May.

May shrugged. "She needs some space. She just started therapy and meds and now everyone knows about her condition. It's frustrating for her. She hates being seen as weak," she explained.

Mack shook his head. "She's not weak."

"She doesn't know that," May said quietly.

After a few moments, May stood up. "I know I said we should give her some space, but I think she needs me right now."

Mack pursed his lips. "You sure about that?"

May nodded. "She always likes it when I comfort her." She started toward the door.

"You know, you're not her mom," Mack told her.

May turned around to face him. "I know I'm not. Just like you're not her older brother."

"Fair enough," Mack said.

* * *

Daisy frustratedly chucked her paper plate into the garbage can, shouting angrily.

She must seem so weak to everyone. She was acting like a depressed teenager, really. She was needy, clingy, and dumb.

And everyone knew it.

Daisy walked into her bathroom and lifted herself onto the counter so she was sitting on it, her legs dangling off the side. She rested her elbows on her knees and put her head in her hands, letting a few tears drip out.

Someone knocked at her door. She didn't have to hear her voice to know it was May.

"Leave me alone," Daisy said calmly.

"Daisy," May scolded.

"Please."

She rolled her eyes when May walked in anyway, striding to the bathroom.

Daisy hopped off the counter and opened the door. "What?" she asked May with tired eyes.

May put her hand on Daisy's shoulder, trying to coax her out of the bathroom. "Come on. It doesn't help to hide in there."

"I'm not hiding, May, just thinking in peace. Could you please let me do that?" She reached down to the knob and tried to pull the door closed.

May put her hand in the door to stop it from closing. "Daisy."

"Please, May." Daisy tried to pull it shut again.

May stopped her again. "Come on, Daisy." She wedged her hand in the door and tried to pry it open, but Daisy put her hand below hers and tried to close it. Somehow, the door got slammed and May managed to slip her hand out, but Daisy didn't have as much luck. She hissed when her palm got smashed in the door.

May quickly opened the door and Daisy had no choice but to be pulled out of the bathroom by her.

"You okay?" May asked her as the pair sat on her bed.

Daisy nodded, gripping her injured hand with her other one. "Just throbbing a little."

"Sorry," May said quietly.

"Not your fault," Daisy mumbled.

After a few moments, May asked, "How did your therapy go?"

Daisy shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

"Did it help?"

"Somewhat."

"How about the meds?" She looked to the bottle on her bedside table.

Daisy shrugged again. "They help, I guess."

"Then what's the matter?"

"It's just that... _everyone_ knows now. Everyone knows how weak I am."

"They don't think you're weak."

"Fine, then. They know about my absolute disregard for life."

"Daisy- "

"I just hate that I allowed myself to be discovered. It was a ridiculous move on my part." Daisy shifted her weight and squinted, gripping her palm which was aching more by the minute.

May put a hand on her back, motioning for her to stand up. "Come on. Let's get you some ice for that."

Daisy sighed but agreed.

Simmons was not happy when she saw Daisy and May walk up to her desk, the former holding her arm again.

"It's not what you think it is," Daisy assured her friend with a smirk.

Jemma let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. What is it, then?" She gently took Daisy's hand and held it in hers, inspecting it.

"We had a...door issue," May explained, making Daisy laugh a little.

"Doesn't look broken, but it sure looks painful," Simmons declared. "Let me go get you some ice and a bandage."

Daisy groaned. "Oh crap, I can't even type anymore."

May's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry Daisy, this is my fault- "

"No it isn't," Daisy hissed.

"Come on, Daisy, you know it is," May said.

"Whatever. I forgive you," Daisy mumbled, biting her lip to distract from the throbbing in her palm.

Jemma came back with an ice pack and gently held it onto the back of Daisy's hand, making the Inhuman wince.

"Gosh, that's sore," she groaned.

"Let me wrap it for the night so it's all healed by morning," Jemma said. Daisy rolled her eyes but allowed the young scientist to wrap a compression bandage around her hand. "Keep ice on that until you fall asleep, and it should be all better in no time!" she instructed cheerfully.

Daisy smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Jemma."

Jemma nodded, caressing her arm affectionately. "Of course. How are your meds working?"

Daisy nodded curtly. "They help, at least a little."

"Glad to hear it, Daisy." She waved her hands around. "Now go rest your hand. No computers tonight, got it?"

"Got it," Daisy replied, smiling at her friend as she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very important reminder to contact someone you trust if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues!!


	4. The Framework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aida gets herself involved in Daisy's situation, which isn't too pleasant for the Inhuman in question.

As Radcliffe was leaving the base with Aida, Aida couldn't help but overhear Mace's conversation with Burrows and a few other agents.

"Apparently, her therapy and meds are working," an agent told Mace.

Mace nodded. "Good. If she's willing, I think it best we make her a full agent sometime soon."

Burrows and the other agent nodded in agreement.

"May I ask who you are discussing?" Aida asked monotonically as she approached the group.

Mace opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. "It's just Agent Johnson, Aida. She's fine, don't worry," he replied.

"I do not worry." Aida tilted her head. "But, what is wrong with her?"

Burrows scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"She has just been having trouble recovering from being mind-controlled. That's all," Mace told her.

Aida nodded. "Understood."

With that, she left the group and followed her "master" to a quinjet so they could be taken back to Radcliffe's apartment.

"We'll be leaving shortly," an agent told the pair. "We'll be sending an agent with you to inspect the lab a little, make sure it's up to code."

Radcliffe swallowed but nodded.

Once the agent was out of earshot, Aida leaned toward Radcliffe. "I think I have found the perfect subject to try the Framework out."

"We've been through this," Radcliffe said through his teeth. "I thought we were taking Agent May."

"I discovered a better participant. Agent Johnson has been struggling with her mental health. By my calculations, some time in the Framework could be quite beneficial to emotional and mental health," Aida told him mechanically.

Radcliffe bit his lip, thinking. "Yes, but she won't exactly be a willing participant. Plus, if we want to replace her with one of her LMDs, the LMD would figure it out at some point. Daisy has powers, remember?"

Aida mechanically blinked. "Yes. But wasn't your goal with the Framework to help people?"

"It was..."

"Then we will be greatly helping someone."

"If you can manage to wrangle her into that headset, then go for it, Aida. But please..." Radcliffe raised his eyebrows at the robot. "...don't hurt her, or anyone."

Aida blinked. "I will not."

A moment passed.

"Hey," Radcliffe said to the SHIELD agent. The agent turned around and raised his eyebrows at him. "Could you send Agent Johnson with us?" Radcliffe requested.

The agent shrugged. "If she's willing to, I'm sure it would be fine."

"I just hear her technical skills are very good," Radcliffe said.

The agent nodded, looking at his tablet. "They are. I'm paging her now."

"Thank you," Radcliffe said to him, a smirk appearing on his face.

* * *

"I am so glad that your antidepressants are already working after just two days of dosing," Dr. Littmann said to Daisy. They were having a session in her bunk.

Daisy smiled and nodded. "The urge, I..." Her smile widened. "...It's lessened so much. I was never expecting them to work so well."

Dr. Littmann smiled. "They can sure work wonders."

Daisy nodded. "Yeah, they can. Your therapy is helping, too, Dr. Littmann." She sucked in a breath. "It...It's really helping me get over my past."

"Good."

"Yeah, I mean, the only hesitation I had with seeking real help was being seen as weak, you know? After abandoning SHIELD, my family, I...I didn't want them to think I only came back because I needed their help. I wanted to help _them_ ; that's why I came back."

Dr. Littmann tilted her head. "Daisy, sometimes one of the strongest things you can do is accept weakness."

Daisy pressed her lips together, nodding and thinking.

Her phone buzzed, and she took it out.

"What is it?" Littmann asked.

Daisy squinted at her phone. "Huh. That's odd. Radcliffe has requested my technical skills. Says Aida needs my help with something."

"Maybe you should go along. It might be good for you to get out of the 'house'," her therapist suggested.

Daisy shrugged, standing up and sliding on her leather jacket. "Alright. Aida, that _robot_ lady, freaks me out anyway. If I refused, she might come for me."

Littmann chuckled. "I doubt that." She stood from the chair as Daisy opened her bunk door. She pointed at the young Inhuman. "We'll talk more later, okay?"

Daisy nodded. "Yes, doc."

* * *

"Um, hi," Daisy said when she got to the quinjet, seating herself across from the two "weirdos", as she called them in her mind.

Aida "smiled" creepily. "Welcome onboard, Daisy Johnson."

Okay, that freaked Daisy out. "Uh, yeah, thanks."

"We just need a little help with a computer issue, plus an agent is supposed to come along to inspect our lab a little," Radcliffe explained.

Daisy sucked in a breath. Radcliffe reminded her so much of Hive. "I'm not really an agent, you know."

Radcliffe shrugged. "You're trusted at SHIELD."

Daisy scoffed. "Questionable," she muttered under her breath.

Aida tilted her head, studying Daisy closely. She could see very clearly now how much Daisy hated herself. That wasn't normal human behavior, was it?

But it was nothing the Framework couldn't fix.

* * *

Once at the apartment, Aida led Daisy to the lab room.

"What's the issue?" Daisy asked as she walked up to the computer.

"You are supposed to inspect it for anything we may be hiding," Aida replied in monotone.

Out of Aida's view, Daisy raised her eyebrows, suspicious. She continued to search the computer until she came across a suspicious file.

"Aida, this file is humongous!" She squinted at the screen. "I don't remember them saying anything about a Framework..."

Before she could say anything else, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She stumbled to the ground and whipped around to see Aida holding a wrench in her hand.

"What the hell, Aida?!" Daisy snapped, getting back on her feet.

"You need help," Aida stated.

Daisy swung a punch at the robot woman but Aida dodged it, landing a punch of her own on Daisy's stomach. Daisy grunted but kicked Aida in the leg, making the LMD fall to the floor.

Daisy raised her arm to quake Aida against the ground more, but Aida was fast and stood up, grabbing something from the table. Before Daisy had a chance to react, Aida had her hand around the Inhuman's neck, pinning her against the wall.

Daisy struggled against the robot but she could do nothing as Aida jabbed a syringe into her thigh.

Aida let go of Daisy, making her fall to the floor, gasping for air. She started to feel very sleepy, but before she let the sedative kick in, she turned to the LMD.

"You nasty bit..."

Her eyes rolled into her head and she fell asleep before she could continue.

* * *

Aida gently laid Daisy's body in the glass-door area, hooking her up to the necessary IVs before placing the headset on her and downloading her brain information.

"I thought you said you weren't going to hurt her!" Radcliffe exclaimed as he walked into the lab, eyeing the bruises and cuts on Daisy's neck and face.

"She will be fine," Aida told him, dabbing her cut lip with a cloth. When she pulled off Daisy's jacket, she was intrigued by the scars covering her arms.

Radcliffe sighed, scratching his head nervously. "Please tell me you're at least mapping her brain!"

Aida nodded, taking the clothes she'd stolen from Daisy and putting them on her nearly-identical LMD.

Aida removed the headset from real Daisy and set it on the LMD version, clicking a few buttons. "It should only take an hour," Aida told Radcliffe.

Radcliffe sighed and nodded. "I just hope this works and wasn't all for nothing," he said, deep in thought.

"You wanted to test the Framework anyway," Aida said to him. "Plus, the LMD has been programmed to subconsciously search for the Darkhold for us."

"I suppose you're right," Radcliffe said with a sigh, taking one last look at Daisy before Aida attached her to the Framework and closed the door, hiding her from the public.

An hour later, the Daisy LMD opened her eyes.

"What's the issue?" Daisy asked as she walked up to the computer.

"Never mind. Holden was able to figure it out," Aida replied in monotone.

Daisy nodded. "Alright, then. Everything looks good here. I guess I'll be heading back to the base now. They'll need help with Eli Murrow when I get back."

Radcliffe nodded. "Th-Thank you, Daisy."

Once she was out of earshot, Radcliffe looked to Aida.

"I sure hope this works," he said.

* * *

"I started with the basics," Aida told Radcliffe. "Daisy might suspect that she's not in reality. The complex Framework isn't available until we have the Darkhold to give us our answers."

Radcliffe sighed frustratedly. "I know. If she manages to escape, Aida, you've _got_ to recapture her. Because if she's seen by a SHIELD agent, it's over."

Aida nodded. "I know, Holden. I will assure that she does not leave this apartment."

Radcliffe half-smiled. "Thank you, Aida. What would I do without you?"

Aida smiled. "You wouldn't."

* * *

Daisy couldn't explain it, but she felt… _different_. The little trembles that usually inhabited her felt nearly nonexistent.

She shrugged it off because she had a lot of work to do.

Once suited up, she boarded the Zephyr in her Quake suit and new and improved gauntlets.

Once they got to where Eli was hiding in that warehouse, she, Elena, and Robbie got out to scout out the area.

When Yo-Yo came rushing out of the exploding building, Daisy saved her life by dousing the fire that had caught her jacket.

Once they were back up in the Zephyr, Daisy started feeling her gauntlets absorbing the earthquakes that Eli's device was causing.

It was a lot to handle as she stood in that dark room, absorbing the quakes to save the city. Mace had brought Aida and Radcliffe on the mission, too, making Daisy exceedingly uncomfortable. She hated that damn robot-lady.

And now that robot-lady was doing some weird crap with her hands.

The feeling was overwhelming. Daisy scrunched her face up and grabbed onto the metal frame for dear life as the quakes shook her arms.

When they finally stopped Daisy rushed outside to get some fresh air. She aimed her hands to shoot herself into the sky with her quakes but nothing happened. Her powers, they...they weren't working.

"What the hell?!" she whispered to herself.

Before she could think about it any longer, news people and paparazzi were surrounding her, asking her too many questions at once.

She was so glad Mace swooped in to help her, even if it did mean she would _have_ to become an agent now.

Oh, well. She had it coming.

Daisy was scared on her way back to the base. It didn't help matters that Radcliffe was sort of looking at her weird. She was very glad when he and Aida were dropped off at his apartment.

Daisy guessed that it could be a side effect of her meds, so she shrugged it off for the night as she fell asleep, exhausted from the busy day. She had made sure to contact Littmann to postpone her therapy session for the night. She was just too tired.

* * *

Daisy opened her eyes and saw something strange. She was…at the beach?

The _beach_?!

She sat up and noticed she was wearing a bathing suit and coverup, something she hadn't worn since she had been with that rich foster family that took her on all those trips.

She wondered why the _hell_ she was at a beach now and _how_ she got there.

As she listened to the seagulls and watched the waves of the ocean, she tried to think of the last thing she remembered.

But her mind went blank. All she knew was she was in the _wrong_ place.

* * *

That morning, as she became more clear-minded as she drank her coffee, Daisy started to panic again. Could antidepressants inhibit your powers?! That didn't seem possible _or_ probable.

Plus, her arm and thigh scars looked…different for some reason. The differences were barely noticeable to anyone else but to Daisy, they looked like they'd healed up much too fast. The scars were just _too_ small.

"What's on your mind?" Mack asked her, sitting down next to her at the table and drinking some coffee of his own.

Daisy shook her head. "Just…flustered from yesterday."

Mack scowled. "You seem more than flustered, Tremors. Need to talk about it?"

She sighed. "Mack, I...My powers aren't working."

He furrowed his brow, concerned. "Really? Why?"

"I thought it might be the meds, but..." She shook her head in disbelief, attempting to quake her mug across the table. "See? Nothing."

Mack scratched his chin. "Maybe have Simmons or Fitz take a look."

Daisy nodded. "That's why I was thinking. But, whatever the case, I'm not sure I _want_ to hear the results."

Mack patted her back. "You'll be fine. I'm sure it's no big deal."

"I sure hope so," Daisy mumbled.

* * *

"LET ME OUT!" Daisy yelled, kicking the sand. It felt like it had been hours since she'd woken up on that beach. She took a swim to try and clear her mind, but screamed when she literally couldn't move below about three feet underwater. It was like it just...stopped. The same thing happened when she tried to swim out more than a few yards from the shoreline.

She tried to walk down the boardwalk to get some help, but the boardwalk also just…ended.

"Is there a limit to this damn world?!" Daisy said to herself. She was starting to get the idea that she wasn't on Earth anymore, not in reality.

"Daisy," came a monotone voice. Daisy jumped when she turned around to see none other than Aida standing behind her.

"Aida. What the hell?! Where am I?!" she shouted, looking up at the sky to see it too-perfectly blue.

Aida's "expression" didn't change. "You need to relax, Daisy."

" _Relax_?!" Daisy scoffed. "Just because I'm at a beach you expect me to _relax_?!"

Aida blinked. "I thought this would calm you. Your brain mapping results said you had a happy memory at this beach." She motioned to the sand and the water.

Daisy frowned, sighing. "It was happy once, but it reminds me of the family that got rid of me because they didn't like my 'manners'."

Aida knitted her eyebrows. "This is not a positive memory for you?"

"Wait…" Daisy started, the realization hitting her. "You said _brain mapping_?! Where _am_ I?!"

"The Framework," Aida replied.

 _Framework_. That rang a bell. "Wait...a simulation?!"

Aida nodded.

"Where is my real body?!" Daisy hissed, shoving Aida backward a little.

"Safe," Aida responded.

"Safe?! Did you capture me?!"

Aida blinked. "You were not a willing participant."

Daisy raised her hand and quaked Aida to the ground of the boardwalk. "You—"

"Calm yourself, Daisy," Aida told her. "You need to relax."

"How can I relax when you forced me into a _simulation_?!" Daisy snapped.

"I suppose this wasn't a good choice of scenery," Aida said.

In a flash, Daisy found herself in a new location: The Bus.

She, again, had no memory of how she got there. She just had a little feeling that she didn't belong.

* * *

"So…your powers just _aren't_ working?" Simmons clarified as she took Daisy's blood.

Daisy nodded. "That's the best way to explain it."

Simmons furrowed her brow as she took the blood sample over to a microscope.

"Is it possibly a side effect of the meds?" Daisy asked, hopeful.

Jemma sighed. "That's not likely. Your powers are a part of you, Daisy…they act as a genetic defect."

Daisy started to get very nervous.

Simmons scowled and gasped as she backed away from the microscope.

"What is it?!" Daisy asked, frantically standing from the swivel chair.

Jemma's eyes were so wide you could practically glimpse into her soul. Without looking away from Daisy, she said, "F-Fitz? Can you come here, please?"

Fitz approached the group, setting whatever he had been working on on the counter. He scratched his head, rolling up his sleeves. "What is it, Jemma?"

Jemma pointed a shaky finger to the microscope. "Look at the blood sample," she replied, her voice trembling with fear.

Daisy was getting scared herself as Fitz's expression, too, changed to shock.

"Whose 'blood' is this?!" Fitz asked, his eyes wide.

"Mine," Daisy replied, her heart racing.

Fitz's eyes widened even more as he backed away from Daisy, pointing as accusing finger at her. "Wh-What, no...this blood is synthetic!" He turned to his girlfriend. "Are you sure this is hers?!"

Simmons swallowed and nodded, never taking her eyes off of Daisy. "She was having trouble with her powers."

"Are they…not working?" Fitz guessed.

Jemma nodded, taking her gun from the table and aiming it at Daisy.

"Woah, hey!" Daisy shouted, raising her arms in surrender. "Please, I…I don't know what's happening!"

"Is there…anything _else_ odd you noticed?" Jemma asked, her voice shaky. She still had the gun aimed at her.

Daisy nodded, keeping her arms raised. "My scars look odd."

"She's an LMD," Fitz whispered into Jemma's ear.

"I know, Fitz," she whispered back. "Is it possible for them to not be self-aware?"

"What are you all talking about?!" Daisy snapped, getting more anxious by the second.

"Nothing!" Jemma snapped back.

"It is possible," Fitz answered. "If you download someone's brain information, you can give the info to an LMD and program it to perform a certain task subconsciously."

"So, the real Daisy..." Jemma began.

"…was probably captured by Aida and Radcliffe," Fitz finished for her.

Jemma's eyes widened. "Yesterday, I saw her leave the base to inspect Radcliffe's apartment. Do you think it happened then?"

"Please!" Daisy's LMD cried, having no idea what was going on.

"I'm sorry," Simmons said. In a flash, she shot her gun, landing the bullet in Daisy's shoulder. The LMD fell to the floor, sparks flying from her shoulder.

Other lab techs were gasping and approaching the situation.

"What..." started Agent Nguyen.

"Contact Director Mace and any available high-ranking agents and tell them that Daisy has been captured by Radcliffe," Jemma replied mechanically as she shakily dropped the gun onto the counter.

Nguyen nodded and frantically left the lab to go do as she was told.

* * *

"Skye!" came a muffled voice from outside her bunk.

Skye slid open the door and smiled at Ward, who was waiting outside.

He motioned to the galley with his thumb. "Coulson's cooking dinner, if you want to join us," Ward told her.

Skye nodded. "I'll be right there," she said.

Ward left and Skye shut her laptop, sliding it into its sleeve and setting it on its safe place on the little shelf in her bunk. She exited the little space and slid the door shut, then made her way to the galley.

"Aw, come _on_!" Fitz pouted. He and Simmons were sitting at the counter playing cards.

"You lost!" Jemma boasted, raising her hands in self-praise.

Skye smiled as she walked up to the group. "Good work, Simmons," she told her friend, sitting on the third counter stool.

Coulson opened the oven and took something out with his ridiculous purple oven mitt.

"Whatcha cooking?" Skye asked him.

He slid the mitt off and turned around, starting to untie his apron. "Meatloaf," he replied with a grin. He looked at the glass container that now sat on the stove. "Well, I was at least _trying_ to."

Ward smirked. "Who thought it was a good idea to let _you_ cook?!"

"Me," came a new voice. May walked up to the group and headed straight for the fridge, grabbing a water bottle and taking a sip.

"How was your session?" Fitz asked her, noticing her workout-wear.

May shrugged. "It went well," she replied. With that, she grabbed an energy bar from the cabinet and left to go continue her piloting.

Skye laughed. "She really doesn't talk much, does she?"

Coulson chuckled, slicing the loaf. "She does _not_."

Once he was done slicing it, Coulson handed a plate to each of the agents.

Skye took a bite and nearly spit it back up when she saw Jemma turn around.

Skye swallowed before breaking out laughing. A sticky note was on her back and it said, "PUNCH ME".

Simmons turned around to face Skye. "What is it?!" she asked, scowling.

Skye covered her mouth to keep from laughing more. Fitz had his finger over his mouth to shush her.

"Nothing," Skye replied, her voice staggered from holding in the laughter.

Coulson took a bite of his meatloaf. "This actually turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself," he said, swallowing. He took a sip of water. "Pret-ty good."

Ward trashed his empty plate, looking at his watch. "I'd better go start my evening workout," he said to the group, leaving the galley.

"That was fast," Skye quipped, smirking.

"I know. Is he a machine?" Fitz asked with a look of mock-confusion.

Coulson shook his head, rolling his eyes and smiling. "You all are extra whack today."

"We are," Simmons said, smiling at Skye. That was enough to make both girls break out in giggles.

Despite a funny feeling in her stomach that something was _off_ , Skye felt good.

* * *

Mace came rushing toward the lab as soon as he heard. He ran up to the group of agents gathered around the Life Model Decoy that uncannily resembled Daisy.

There was a sizable hole in its shoulder that had synthetic blood spilling out. Jemma was crouched next to the LMD, holding its hand.

"Daisy, I'm...I'm sorry for shooting you," the scientist girl said, her voice trembling. She was beginning to regret shooting the LMD, for that robot might be all that was left of her friend Daisy.

Daisy's LMD coughed, putting her hand over the "wound". "Am I...an LMD?" she asked, horrified. "That's why you shot me?"

Simmons sighed. "Yes, Daisy, but..."

"Where am I, then?" the LMD asked frantically, trying to sit up. She looked at her British friend. "Where is my real body?! I don't even recall being switched! What...Where...How...When?!"

"Daisy, calm down. You're alright," Jemma said to the LMD, rubbing her arm.

"Jemma, I can't be! I'm a...I'm a damn robot!" Daisy's eyes were so very wide-open.

"What happened here?!" Mace asked, coming up to the group and crouching down next to the pair.

Jemma gave Daisy's LMD one more look of pity before standing up and leading Mace to a more private location in the lab.

"Her powers weren't working," Jemma told him. "So I decided to do a blood test, and I found that the blood was synthetic; something you'd use in the movies. Fitz also took a look at the blood and he immediately knew that she was an LMD."

"It seems the LMD didn't even know it was an LMD," Mace said, eyeing the frantic "woman" on the floor.

Simmons nodded sadly. "I wonder what Radcliffe and Aida did to Daisy and what they wanted with her."

"I already sent a team to Radcliffe's apartment," Mace told her. "Hey," he said sternly, putting a strong hand on her shoulder and forcing eye contact. "We're gonna find the real Daisy. And if not..." He gestured to the LMD. "...we have the next-best thing."

Jemma swallowed and nodded. "Alright."

* * *

"We need to get moving," Radcliffe told Aida, swiftly rushing into his apartment's lab, laptop in-hand. "The Daisy LMD's eye-cam picked up on something. SHIELD knows." He groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "Why did we choose an Inhuman with _powers_ for this?!"

"I believe that is a rhetorical question," Aida said mechanically.

Radcliffe shot daggers at Aida then threw the wall door open, exposing his prisoner. He started unstrapping the restraints holding Daisy's arms and legs in place. "Help me out here, Aida, will you?"

Aida walked up to him and helped him unstrap Daisy. She gently took the IVs and various wires connected to her headset and carefully set them on a side table.

"We need to transport her to the submarine. Now," Radcliffe told Aida. He looked at the robot woman. "Can you carry her to the van? And quickly; SHIELD's on its way."

Aida nodded in confirmation and got to work.

A few hours later, they were situated on the old submarine.

"Any issues with her Framework?" Radcliffe asked Aida, popping open a bottle of beer and eyeing Daisy asleep on the stand-up cot.

"Not at all. Everything went smoothly with the transportation," Aida responded.

Radcliffe smirked and sipped the beer. "Good. Who cares if SHIELD found out our plan? Soon enough, the Daisy LMD will steal the Darkhold and make it out of there."

"What if SHIELD destroys the LMD?" Aida inquired.

Radcliffe swallowed a gulp of beer, then shook his head. "That Jemma Simmons is such a softie that she can't bear to let that LMD suffer. She thinks it's still her friend, Daisy."

Aida nodded. "Good, then. The Daisy LMD knows the submarine's coordinates; I laced it into her programming."

"We'll soon have all we need to create a world free of pain, Aida. All we have to do then is get the rest of the main SHIELD team. Oh, the people we'll help..."

* * *

As she lie in bed that night, Skye took a deep breath. The clouds were very pretty under the moonlight; she made a mental note to appreciate natural wonders more in her life.

She still felt incredibly odd, but she wanted so desperately to shrug that feeling off. She was enjoying herself oh so much with the people she was beginning to consider family.

For some reason, though, she felt like she'd hurt them recently. Like, abandoned them for some reason.

She wasn't so sure.

The next day, the team went to Italy to intercept the Cybertek package on the train. All hell broke loose when she and Fitz got to the house.

For some reason, Skye felt like she'd lived those exact moments in the basement before. Seeing Mike Peterson, and then Quinn standing there with the gun, and then...

And then being shot. Twice. In the stomach.

The pain, it...it felt like she'd experienced it before. When she crawled over to the door she felt so helpless...

Skye groaned. The oddly familiar pain in her gut was getting to be too much. The warm blood spilling onto the floor and soaking her clothes was beginning to freak her out.

Then everything went black.

* * *

"Please don't leave me in here," the Daisy LMD pleaded. Simmons and Mace had brought her to the Inhuman containment module.

"It's just for safe-keeping," Simmons told her, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

"For what reason? I get that I'm a robot, but..." She started to panic again, basically ripping her hair out. "...Oh, God, what's happened to me?!"

"Hey," Jemma said to her friend through the glass. "You're gonna be okay."

The LMD's chest heaved, clearly an advanced synthetic reaction for a piece of metal.

Jemma nodded at Mace, who opened the pod door. Simmons walked inside, clutching a device in her hands.

"What're you doing?" Daisy's LMD asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry," Simmons said to her, taking the device and jabbing it into the back of Daisy's skull. The LMD deactivated, its head resting at a chin-to-chest position.

"I'm surprised Fitz's device worked," Mace said, entering the pod.

"I am, too," came a third person. Fitz entered the area, laptop in-hand. Coulson, May, and Mack followed him. "It - she - should be deactivated until we reactivate it - sorry, her - with that device." He pointed to the small, screwdriver-like device in his girlfriend's hands.

Jemma sighed. "Good. If that really is all that's left of Daisy, then I'm glad she doesn't have to suffer."

Coulson sighed. "Me, too."

Fitz nodded. "I'd like to run some diagnostics on her coding in hopes of figuring out what her subconscious task is, if any. I have a feeling that Aida and Radcliffe wouldn't have sent this LMD unless they had a mission."

"Do you have _any_ idea where the real Daisy is or what they want with her?" Mack asked, scratching his chin.

Fitz sighed. "I can't say I do, Mack. "

Mace bit his lip. A moment later, his face lit up. "Wait, Aida, she...she walked up to me the other day. We were talking about Daisy and Aida asked about her. I guess she found out about her mental issues."

May squinted in contemplation. "Do you think maybe she...wanted to help Daisy in some way? But why would capturing her and switching her help..." She chewed her lip. "Fitz, you know more about Aida than we do. What is her programming, exactly?"

Fitz sucked in a breath. "To protect humans from harm. Maybe she just wanted to protect Daisy."

"Yes," Mace said, motioning to May. "But to May's point, why would switching her with an LMD help?"

"Maybe it's literally just supposed to act as a decoy," Simmons thought out loud. She was met with confused glances from her teammates. She shrugged. "Well, maybe Aida and Radcliffe are somehow treating the real Daisy."

"But why in hell wouldn't they want us to know?!" Coulson asked, holding out his palm. "If they wanted to help her, they could have proposed that to us."

"How do we know Daisy didn't go behind our backs and let Aida and Radcliffe treat her?" Mace wanted to know.

May shook her head. "No, Daisy wouldn't do that."

Jemma nodded in agreement. "I agree. Her LMD really didn't seem so on-board with being taken by Radcliffe. Plus, why would they need to _replace_ Daisy with an LMD if they weren't holding the real one hostage somewhere?"

"Or dead," Fitz mumbled under his breath.

Mack glared at the smaller man. "Hey. Don't think like that."

Fitz sighed, shaking his head in disbelief as he shifted the laptop to his other hand. "Hope doesn't seem like something we can really have a lot of right now. We might get disappointed."

"Hey, we're working on finding her," Mace declared. "The team I sent to Radcliffe's apartment didn't find Daisy, but they have one of their backup computers in SHIELD's custody. We'll be looking through that thoroughly. If Daisy's still out there, we're gonna find her. Understood?"

A series of nods and "understood"s from the agents was enough confirmation for Mace.

* * *

"Bad news," Radcliffe said to Aida. "The Daisy LMD has been deactivated."

"Agent Fitz, I presume?" Aida asked him.

Radcliffe nodded in confirmation. "A smart kid. It looks like we'll have to find another way to get the Darkhold, Aida."

Suddenly, Daisy's vitals started to go crazy. Aida rushed to her side, examining the monitors.

"Agent Johnson appears to be in extreme distress," Aida announced.

"Maybe something is happening in the Framework. She might have gotten close to death in it, or something," Radcliffe proposed.

Aida slid a thin finger to Daisy's wrist, pressing on her radial artery and feeling her pulse.

"I do not understand. I simply placed her in one of her favorite memories. Based on my observations of human behavior thus far, I do not believe that anyone's favorite memory can possibly be a near-death experience." She let go of Daisy's wrist.

Radcliffe slipped off the chair he had been sitting at, walking over to his robot creation. "Maybe being close to death _is_ a good memory, for her." He looked up at the sleeping woman.

Aida turned to him. "Are you implying that because she might be suicidal, Daisy may enjoy the memory of death, or something near it?"

Radcliffe shrugged. "I think it's quite possible. If not, you might have left her in the same memory for too long. I'd suggest going back in there and checking out what's happening; maybe get her out of there. I'll start conjuring up a plan for obtaining the Darkhold."

Aida nodded. "I will enter the Framework and fix this."

* * *

"Come on, Skye!" Simmons shouted, rapidly performing chest compressions on her friend. This was the umpteenth time that same day when Jemma had had to bring Skye back to life, and each time it was more and more difficult on Skye's body.

Triplett looked sadly down at Skye once Simmons finally revived her, leaning back and wiping the sweat from her own forehead. Trip saw her shed a tear or two.

"Hey, we're gonna save her, okay?" he said to Jemma, putting a hand on her arm.

Simmons nodded, swallowing and wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve. "I hope so, Trip, I hope so."

Suddenly Aida appeared in the medical pod.

"What the hell..." Trip started. Aida looked over to the simulated Trip and Jemma and thought them out of existence. She then directed her attention to the unconscious Skye in the bed.

"I'm sorry about this, Daisy," Aida said to her. "I did not calculate that you would have to suffer through this again. But, no worries. I shall send you somewhere else in no time. Somewhere you're guaranteed to like."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! PLEASE contact someone you know and trust if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues to the ones mentioned in this story!


	5. Afterlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy goes to a place from her past, but of course that doesn't come without complications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING: suicide attempt and suicide within a simulated world is in this chapter. PLEASE be careful while reading this chapter and take care of yourself.

"Skye, you up?" came a muffled voice from outside her door. She stood up from her bed—setting the book she'd been reading on her bedside table—and threw a house-robe over her pajamas. She walked over to her door and opened it.

Jiaying smiled at her daughter. "Good morning! Breakfast will be ready soon, but I thought you might like to have some early-morning training?"

Skye grinned. "Of course. I'll meet you at the regular spot."

Jiaying smiled even wider and nodded, allowing Skye to close the door as she walked away.

Skye was very happy as she changed into her usual outfit. Though she missed her friends at SHIELD, Afterlife had done wonders for her. Lincoln and Jiaying were so understanding and helpful in getting her to control and use her powers.

And she had finally found both of her parents, making things that much better.

Skye yawned and walked into her bathroom, splashing some water on her face and brushing her teeth. She grabbed a water bottle from the cabinet and left her room, heading towards the meeting spot.

* * *

Coulson could hardly sleep that night. He kept tossing and turning over and over again. Sure, Fitz and Simmons had told him to go to bed so he could take the day shift, but how could he sleep when Daisy was missing?

There was no way of knowing her current condition. She could be dead, for all he knew.

How could one rest when one's daughter-figure might be dead?

Sure, in the process of all things he'd been turned back to the clandestine director of SHIELD after that scare with Mace and Nadeer, but that wasn't what kept him up. What mattered more to him was his Daisy, and whether or not she was okay.

He finally decided to click his light on and read a little bit. Maybe that'd tire his eyes out.

After a while he didn't feel any more sleepy, so he sighed frustratedly and got out of his bed, throwing on his gym shorts and doing some push-ups on the floor.

"Geez, I'm getting older," he said to himself, realizing that even five push-ups were a little bit of a struggle to him. He did some sit-ups too, then some crunches, but even then he still wasn't tired.

It felt like a godsend when someone knocked on his bunk door. He quickly toweled his sweaty neck off and flung the towel over his shoulder, opening the door.

"It's getting late and I can't sleep, so I figured you couldn't, either," May said to him from right outside his door.

Coulson sighed and nudged behind him with his head. "Come on in."

May sat on his little couch, rubbing a speck of dirt off the armrest. "I see you did some working-out as well," she observed.

"You did too?" Coulson wanted to know as he took a sip of water and hopped onto his bed.

May nodded, picking at a fingernail. Coulson noticed that she was being very fidgety; an usual thing for May to be.

Coulson scratched his head, pulling one side of his comforter taut. "I'm guessing you're worried, too."

May nodded again, now intently watching her own feet.

"I just want to help FitzSimmons with finding her," Coulson said. He swallowed. "I feel like I'm being counterproductive just sleeping here."

"You know you're more helpful sleeping than being in that lab," May offered. "They asked us to get sleep so they can sleep themselves tomorrow afternoon."

"I know, I know," Coulson mumbled. He took the towel and dabbed his forehead again. He tossed the towel to the floor and turned to May, making eye contact with her. "May, what if she's not okay? What if they've hurt her, or even killed her?" He had finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"I doubt Radcliffe would do that," May said to him. "He wouldn't just kill in cold blood."

"Aida might."

"She might."

"And aren't you worried about that?!"

"No."

"Why not!?"

"Because I have faith. Coulson, you know better than anybody that Daisy can defend herself. Whatever pickle they've got her in, she can get out." May stood from the couch and seated herself next to Coulson, putting a friendly arm around his shoulder. "She's going to be alright, Phil. You know she is."

"We can't know for sure," he said quietly.

"We can't," May declared, shifting her weight so they met eyes. "But there's nothing we can do about it right now. Right now, the best thing you can do for Daisy is get some rest. In the morning, we'll work more on it."

After a few quiet moments, Coulson sighed and nodded, smiling a little at May. "You're really good at giving advice, you know, especially for someone who doesn't talk much."

May smiled warmly, gently rubbing his arm. "I can talk when I want to."

Coulson smiled wider. "You sure can."

* * *

It felt so good to Skye to be able to control her powers. It hurt her so much to cause all those earthquakes back at the Playground and hurt her friends, and then herself. But now, she finally had control. She could help _so_ many people with this new "gift" of hers, as all those at Afterlife called their powers.

Sure, her parents weren't exactly what she was expecting, but they were better than nothing. They didn't beat Coulson or May, but they were her _real_ parents, her biological parents. Yeah, her father had done some bad things, but his heart always seemed to be in the right place. His love for his daughter was so big it was destructive, sure, but at least he loved her.

At least he loved her.

Having dinner together was an even better experience. Yeah, it felt awkward, but she felt _normal_ for the first time in her life. There she was, eating dinner, with her real parents. Her _real_ , biological parents.

That was something that children around the world took for granted but a twenty-six year old Inhuman spy agent with no records of existence worshiped.

That all ended as she went to bed that night and had a chance to have some quiet thinking time.

Why did everything feel so _off_?!

This time, it actually came to her: she did _not_ belong here. She was _not_ Skye; her name was Daisy. She was Inhuman, yes, and she had powers, but she was even stronger now. Her mother, Jiaying, was _not_ a good person. She had been tricking Cal into doing all those destructive things and she was going to trick all the Inhumans into attacking SHIELD.

Why did she know this?

Because Aida! That's why!

It came to her; she was searching Radcliffe's computer in his lab and Aida attacked her, knocking her out with a sedative. And then she woke up to that beach place and Aida told her to calm down when she realized she was in a simulation. The _Framework_ , right?! That's what it was called.

And then she was on the Bus with her first ever SHIELD team. And then she experienced getting shot by Quinn all over again, and nearly dying and then recovering all-too-quickly using the GH-325 serum.

And then she came here.

Her memories were all back to her.

She raced out of bed, practically tearing her sheets away from her body. She ran outside and rushed to the edge of the mountain, shouting into the void.

"AIDA!" she screamed. "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

No response.

Daisy's throat felt hoarse. She stepped forward a little, cupping her hands over her mouth in a mini-megaphone. "AIDA, FOR GOD'S SAKE! I. DON'T. WANT. TO. BE. HERE!"

Someone tapped her shoulder, making Daisy jump. Lincoln was behind her, his eyes tired and a robe lazily wrapped around him. "What are you doing, Skye?" he asked, his voice raspy from disuse.

Daisy opened her mouth to say something but was at a loss for words. "Oh, hell," she muttered. "You're not real anyway, so maybe you can help me get out."

"Not...real?" Lincoln echoed, shocked.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "No, you're not real, Lincoln. You're just a simulated version of my friend."

 _Who is dead,_ she thought to herself. She twisted her arms over to look at her wrists, which were untouched by scars in this simulated body of hers.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Lincoln said to her, snapping her out of her little trance. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright, Skye?!"

Daisy scoffed. "Haven't been for months, but that's fine, you know?"

Lincoln scowled, pulling Daisy towards the buildings. "Come on, let's go inside and get you some water or something."

"No, Lincoln, I'm fine. I need your help getting home."

"Home? You _are_ home, Skye."

Daisy let out a frustrated breath. "I'm not."

"Look, I get it you want to go back to SHIELD, but you still haven't fully learned to control your powers yet. Have some patien—"

"WHAT THE HELL, LINCOLN!" Daisy snapped, more angrily than she was intending. Her facial expression softened when Lincoln looked so hurt, so shocked. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You couldn't understand."

"Understand _what_ , Skye?"

She sighed and gently pushed him towards the buildings. "You're just going to have to go along with my plan. And don't you _dare_ try to save me, okay?"

" _Save_ you?! Save you from _what_?!"

* * *

"Skye, what are you doing?!" Lincoln asked as Daisy practically dragged him into an Afterlife building.

"Just go with it," came her reply. She pulled him into the nearest building and she went inside, searching.

"Daisy, it's late and I don't know what you're doing..." Lincoln began.

"Do you have any weapons at Afterlife?" Daisy asked, looking around the dark and empty room they were in.

"Weapons?! No..." Lincoln scowled. "Why?!"

Daisy sighed frustratedly. "Damn it..."

That's it. She could go to the infirmary. The infirmary would have some sharp objects.

"Skye, what is _up_ with you?!" Lincoln hissed, grabbing her arm and snapping her back into reality. Well, if you could call it reality. "Why do you want weapons?! And what did you not want me to save you from?!"

Daisy pursed her lips. How could she explain this to him? She had to be careful not to tell him _too_ much, or his brain might overload. But she might _have_ to tell him so he'd let her carry out her plan.

She sighed. "Lincoln, can you just lead me to the infirmary? I need to grab something."

He narrowed his eyes. "I guess..."

Once they got the infirmary, Lincoln leaned in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll be waiting right here."

Lincoln was _very_ confused as to why Skye was acting up. Her talk about everything not being real and him being a simulated version of her friend was making his brain hurt. Where did all that come from in Skye's mind? Was she high on something?

Daisy squinted in the dark as she searched the infirmary cabinets for what she was looking for. She finally found it; a scalpel.

Memories of her self-harming days flashed behind her eyes, making her a little dizzy. She stumbled into an exam table behind her and grabbed onto it for dear life. Everything was so dark...

"Skye? You okay?" came Lincoln's voice from the doorway. He sounded so distant to Daisy.

Daisy was finally able to get her bearings.

 _Come on, Daisy,_ she thought to herself. _You know what you have to do. Get yourself close to death so Aida is alerted on the other side and comes in here to save you._

A dark thought popped into Daisy's head: What if Aida _didn't_ save her this time? Would she die in real life, too?!

And then, an even darker thought crossed her mind: What would it matter to Daisy if she lived? She hated herself anyway.

But maybe Daisy's own life _did_ matter to her. Why else would she care so much about getting out of the Framework in the first place?

She must have at least some regard for her own life, she decided.

But Lincoln. He was _here_. And she missed him so very much.

But it was painful seeing him. She had already begun to move on from him, and this wasn't helping.

She looked at the ominous scalpel in her hand and the streetlights reflecting off it from outside.

She knew what she needed to do.

"Lincoln," she said. "Don't save me, alright?"

"Skye, what?!" Lincoln started to walk towards her. "What are you saying?!"

Daisy took a deep breath, her eyes closed.

 _Remain calm,_ she told herself. _This needs to be done unless you want to be stuck in here forever._

Daisy took the scalpel and pressed it into the side of her wrist. It started to sting.

"SKYE?! WHAT THE HELL?!" Lincoln screamed. Without thinking, he used his electric powers to shoot Skye into the wall. The scalpel flew out of her hands.

"Goddamn it," Daisy mumbled as she tried to stand up, reaching for the scalpel. She barely touched it before Lincoln shocked her again.

"Skye, stop it! I don't want to have to hurt you more!" Lincoln pleaded, hurt ever so present in his voice.

Daisy sighed. She hated seeing him in so much anguish over her.

Just like the anguish she experienced over _him_ in real life.

She felt very exasperated from all the electric shocks Lincoln had delivered to her body, so she let her weak arm fall before trying to grab the scalpel again.

"I can't believe this is happening," Lincoln said, more to himself than anyone. With that, he shocked Skye in such a way that knocked her out.

* * *

Lincoln couldn't help the few tears he began to shed as he approached Skye, crouching next to her and checking her pulse. Once he realized she was safe, he checked her wrist. There was a small wound, but nothing deep enough to cause any life-threatening issues.

Lincoln swallowed the massive lump that had formed in his throat and he reached for his phone, contacting Jiaying and alerting her to the situation.

"Skye needs medical," Lincoln told her.

In a few minutes, Jiaying and a doctor came into the infirmary, the latter clicking on some lights.

"What happened?!" Jiaying asked, concerned, when she saw her daughter lying unconscious on Lincoln's lap, her shirt and sleeve stained with blood.

Lincoln looked up at Jiaying with aggrieved and tired eyes. "Jiaying, she...she..." He couldn't finish. His voice broke.

Jiaying motioned to the doctor and he and Lincoln gently lifted Skye onto one of the infirmary beds.

"Could you explain what happened?" the doctor, Dr. Cameron, asked Lincoln as he took out a stethoscope and started listening to Skye's breathing. Jiaying was at the end of the bed, her hand on her daughter's leg for comfort. Lincoln couldn't tell if Jiaying's expression was more concerned or confused.

Lincoln sucked in a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to answer the doctor's question. "She..." He sighed. "I found her on the edge of the mountain, shouting something to some person about letting her out, how she didn't want to be here. And she said to me that I wasn't real, that _nothing_ was real, that I was a simulated version of her friend in the 'real world'. It was like she'd... _changed_ , like something in her suddenly snapped. And then she...she asked me if Afterlife had any weapons, and I said no, and then she wanted me to lead her here, to the infirmary. I thought she needed to grab some band-aids or something, but she got a scalpel and..." His voice broke and he had to take a moment to compose himself. "...and then she put it to her wrist and I guess she tried to...to...kill herself."

Jiaying buried her face in her hands. Lincoln couldn't imagine how difficult it was to hear such things about one's child.

"You said she thought she was in a simulation?" Cameron clarified.

Lincoln nodded, not taking his eyes off of the sleeping Skye. "I had to shock her, to knock her out, so she'd stop. I didn't want her to die."

Dr. Cameron examined Skye. "A small laceration on her wrist, but nothing a few stitches can't fix." He noticed Lincoln's distraught expression. He put a hand on the Inhuman's arm. "Hey. You did the right thing. She's going to be okay."

Lincoln swallowed as he looked up at the doctor. Then he looked back at Skye and shook his head in disbelief. "I just don't understand why she'd try to do this. I don't know what's gotten into her."

Jiaying sighed. "Maybe she doesn't like her newfound gift. Maybe it's hard for her to come to terms with her new self," she proposed.

"That seems probable," Cameron said as he began stitching Skye's cut.

"But...the simulation thing she kept talking about. How does that make any sense? She's never said those types of things before," Lincoln told them.

Cameron shrugged as he tied off a suture. "Could be intoxication, could be shock, could just be a sensory overload. There's a number of feasible explanations for this."

"Nonetheless," Skye's mother began. "She can't be trusted with herself."

Dr. Cameron nodded, finishing the stitches. "Agreed. I suggest we keep her here in the infirmary until we can figure out a better course of action."

Lincoln sighed, stroking Skye's sleeping head. "I just don't know why she'd do this to us," he whispered.

* * *

Daisy was getting unbearably frustrated. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the restraints on her wrists keeping her attached to the bed in the infirmary. She tugged at them, trying desperately to escape them.

Daisy groaned. Lincoln and Jiaying must think she was suicidal, or crazy.

God, that felt horribly familiar.

Her inhibiting gloves were also stuck on her hands, so no luck there, either.

She noticed the bandage on her wrist and wished deeply that she had succeeded in her plans. She _had_ to get out.

"I see you're up," came a voice. Daisy sighed when she saw Lincoln walk into her room, bearing a tray of food.

Daisy could hardly bring herself to look at him. She wasn't ashamed, no, but she was so frustrated with him that she felt like straight-up punching his across the room.

"I told you not to save me," she said quietly to him when she heard the clink of the tray on her bedside table.

Lincoln put a hand on the bed rail. "I just don't understand why you'd do that to yourself. What in the world were you trying to do?!"

Daisy let out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes. "I already told you, Lincoln. I was trying to get out of here."

"Here? What is _here_?!"

"THE FRAMEWORK, LINCOLN, DAMN IT!" Daisy shouted, jerking her arms to try and rip them out of the restraints again.

"What is the Framework?!" he demanded.

"A simulation! I've been kidnapped and put into a simulated world against my will, okay?"

Daisy finally turned to Lincoln, but she regretted it. He looked so hurt.

Lincoln looked down at the floor then back to Daisy. "So you think none of us are real?"

"Of course you're real, but..." She hesitated, unsure of what to say next. "You're just a version of your real self that my memories created."

Lincoln furrowed his brow. "Memories? What...am I...dead?"

Daisy closed her eyes again and sighed.

"I am," Lincoln realized.

Daisy opened her eyes and took Lincoln's hand as best she could, what with the wrist straps. She looked into his eyes. "So you believe me? You believe that this isn't real?"

Lincoln rolled his eyes and jerked away from her. "Of course not."

Daisy's nostrils flared and she laid her head back on the pillow, frustrated.

"Well," she finally said, a solid minute later. "if you change your mind, just know that I have to get close to death to make it out of here. That's why I asked you not to save me."

To Lincoln, Skye's words intrigued him. Sure, it was obviously crazy-talk, but it was seeming to pan out plausibly. What if he _was_ dead?

"Let's say your...'real world' is true; who else is dead?" Lincoln asked, surprising Daisy.

"Jiaying. Gonzales. Gordon. Alisha. Many others," she replied. Who cared how this would affect anything? This was literally a memory of hers.

Lincoln's heart was racing and he backed up from Skye, running into the bedside table and spilling the food tray everywhere. Before doing anything about clean-up, he looked back at Skye. "That's not true, I..." He scowled. "...How could you _know_ that?! Are you from the future or something?!" He lifted her chin and moved her face around, inspecting it. "You schizophrenic?!"

Daisy smirked. "No to all of that. Yeah, it's true, and I'm not from the future. I'm literally in my own memory so I don't know exactly why I'm being held captive by my own mind but..." Her eyes widened and she chuckled darkly, tugging at her restraints. "Here I am."

"Skye," Lincoln said, his eyes wide. "What. The. Hell."

Daisy shrugged. "Don't believe me if you want, but it's true."

Lincoln grabbed Daisy's chin, annoying her, and checked the inside of her lower eyelids. He released his grip upon finding nothing. "Seriously, Skye. What's wrong with you?! It's like you suddenly changed."

"I'm the same I've always been," she said quietly, darkness present in her voice.

Lincoln furrowed his brow with concern as he grabbed some items from the nearby table. "Maybe you should take a rest, Skye."

"Daisy."

"Um okay, Daisy. I think you should take a rest." He started preparing a syringe.

Daisy sighed. "Fine. Put me to sleep for as long as you want. One day, I might get to leave this place. Might as well wait it out sedated."

Lincoln was confused, but injected her with the sedative nonetheless. He sighed in relief when she was finally asleep.

He gently caressed her hair and walked away.

* * *

"How is she?" Jiaying asked Lincoln when he walked in. She and Dr. Cameron had been talking things over in the eatery.

Lincoln had a sad expression on his face as he sat at the table with them, eyeing the medical books and papers covering the surface. "I think she needs a CT or something. She's acting like a crazy person and it doesn't make any sense."

Dr. Cameron squinted. "Still the simulation thing?"

Lincoln nodded, looking up at the other doctor. "She won't stop talking about it."

"Any mentions of being distraught about her gift?" Jiaying inquired.

Lincoln shook his head. "Just the simulation. She calls it the 'Framework". Says she was kidnapped and put in here."

Cameron bit his lip. "Yeah, I agree that we should do a CT, just to make sure it isn't some tumor causing this." He clicked his pen. "I'll get some techs to get that started for us."

Lincoln nodded and swallowed, thinking about his concern for Skye - no, Daisy. But what if she was speaking the truth?

What was he then? The simulated man who'd stopped her from escaping?

And what happened to him in real life...?

* * *

When Daisy woke up she felt like she'd been moved. She looked up at Dr. Cameron, who was on his computer a few feet away.

"Oh!" he said, smiling. "You're awake. I wanted to let you know we went ahead and did a CT and found no brain tumors."

Daisy felt sort of disoriented from the sedative, still, so she just nodded.

Cameron left to go do something and Daisy took the opportunity to look around the room.

Then she remembered what May once taught her:

"When cuffed, dislocate your thumb. It hurts but it's the only way."

Daisy sucked in a deep breath, preparing.

"Crap," she hissed when she felt the pop of her thumb. She slipped her right hand out of the restraint and undid her left one. She ripped off the inhibiting gloves while she was at it.

Suddenly unsure of what to do, she stood up from the bed, setting her feet on the floor. But she stumbled straight to the floor, her legs wobbly from disuse.

Shakily, she managed to finally stand up and make her way to the door. She hated the feel of the silky robe, something her mother no doubt put on her. She opened the glass door to her personal room and rushed out, running toward the cabinets and searching for another scalpel or something. She _had_ to get this done.

Suddenly her legs got wobbly again and she blacked out. A few seconds later, she found herself on the floor with her ears ringing. She had slammed her head against the floor.

"Skye?!" came Dr. Cameron's voice. He rushed toward his patient and crouched next to her, taking out his medical flashlight and shining it into her eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief when her pupils weren't blown. She screwed her eyes shut but he helped her to sit up. "You okay?"

She tried to shake her head but decided against it. "No," she growled. She opened her eyes in slits. "Let...me...do it."

Without a second thought, she quaked him away from her. While he was still down, she grabbed a scalpel out of the cabinet and quickly ran it across her wrists.

"Oh my God," she croaked, the pain worse than she was expecting. She fell to the floor again and hoped and prayed that Aida would come before she could bleed out.

Sure enough, just when Daisy was about to black out, Aida appeared, walking over to Daisy and crouching next to her.

Upon seeing the situation, Aida let out a "tsk"-like sound. "Now, come on, Daisy, my intention wasn't to kill you. Oh, no matter, it's time you transferred to the new and improved world anyway."

Before Daisy could even _consider_ what that meant, she found herself in a new place.

She was in a prison cell. With the Hydra logo on the door.

* * *

Assessing her surroundings, Daisy realized she was attached to the wall with handcuffs, her arms uncomfortably hung above her head. She was completely self-aware and remembered everything about her life before.

Aida knew this because there was a malfunction in transferring Daisy to the new and improved Framework. The robot woman wasn't happy about that but she was sure she had Daisy contained and locked away so deep that she couldn't reveal the secrets to _anyone_.

Yeah, it had been a week since she'd first kidnapped Daisy, but Daisy didn't know that. Daisy didn't know that she and Radcliffe had already obtained the Darkhold by the Daisy LMD and captured all her teammates.

Daisy didn't know _where_ she was.

That is, until the Hydra-door opened to reveal a version of Aida with heavy, dark makeup walk in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder to get help from someone you know and trust if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues to the ones mentioned in this story.


	6. Hydra HQ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy faces Hydra and gets stuck in a situation she never thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING**: this chapter is NOT for the faint of heart or FitzDaisy stans.

_Two days ago_

May and Coulson were sitting together in the training room when their phones simultaneously went off.

The pair locked eyes. Something was _seriously_ wrong.

"COULSON! MAY!" came Fitz's panicked voice as he rushed into the room, slamming and locking the door behind him.

May ran up to the younger agent. "What is it, Fitz?!"

Fitz's eyes were incredibly wide and his chest was heaving in fear. "D-D-Daisy LMD..." he stammered, pointing a shaky finger at the door. "It-It turned on somehow. Aida must have overridden our shut-down of it, I..." He gasped for air, panicked. After a second, he gulped and looked into May and Coulson's eyes. "The LMD killed two agents. It's headed for your office, sir."

Coulson, for once, did not know what to do. He swallowed the air, feeling the two sets of eyes on him as they waited for him to say something, anything.

In the past few days, there had been no leads on real-Daisy's whereabouts. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe it was a sign.

"What does Aida want?" Coulson finally managed to ask, lacing his hands together.

Fitz looked up from his tablet, which he was monitoring the security feed from. "I don't know, sir. That's why- " He stopped short, his face falling, as he looked briefly down at the tablet again.

"What is it?" May asked him.

Fitz's jaw dropped and he had to put his hand over his mouth to stop from screaming. His hand was trembling as he clumsily passed the tablet to Coulson.

Coulson scowled and took the tablet from him, his eyes widening at the sight. "Oh, my God."

"What?!" May demanded, impatient. She ripped the device out of Coulson's hands and, despite her usual stoic manner, she gasped.

On the screen, it appeared that all of their friends were in perilous situations. Simmons was lying on the floor of the lab, unconscious. Next to her was Mack and Mace, both unconscious as well. Daisy's LMD appeared to be headed toward the rest of SHIELD to do the same. She also had a book in her hands. May's heart skipped a beat when she realized it was the Darkhold.

"We need to get out of here," May said, stating the obvious.

"No way," Fitz said to her shakily. Somehow, he had re-obtained his tablet, and he was staring at the screen as they all felt the faint shaking of the base. A small jet had arrived.

Something suddenly began to rush out of the vents in the wall. It looked like a blue gas.

"Oh, crap..." Fitz began as the gas approached them.

May coughed as they tried to cover their mouths and noses with their shirts.

But they could do nothing as they dropped to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

"Aida," Daisy huffed when she saw her enter her cell. Though she recalled being in her Afterlife memory and everything before that, Daisy didn't know why she was in a prison cell.

Aida smirked as the cell door shut behind her, the Hydra squid decal staring Daisy down, seemingly mocking her. "That's Ophelia, in this Framework," Aida - well, Ophelia - told Daisy. She noted that Aida seemed more...human-like than before.

"Where the _hell_ am I?!" Daisy demanded, pulling at the chains that attached her to the wall. Her hands were beginning to lose their feel as the blood ran out of them from their upright positions. All she accomplished was rubbing them raw.

Ophelia pulled up a metal chair and sat herself in front of Daisy, her expression smug. "Our new and improved Framework. You see..." She tapped Daisy's shoulder with her index finger. "... _your_ LMD got the Darkhold for us and helped us capture your friends."

Daisy's eyes widened and - despite her better judgment - she pulled at her restraints again. "You get your hands off my team!" she hissed.

Ophelia leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap. "No, I don't think I will. You see, _this_ world removed one regret from each of your lives." She motioned all around. "Somehow, this is how it turned out. Of course, my regret was being fake, an android, so in this world, I'm human."

 _That's why she seems so lifelike,_ Daisy thought. "What about my regret? What was mine?" Daisy asked.

Ophelia chuckled. "Oh, you poor thing." She stuck out her lower lip, mock-pouting. "We had a malfunction with you, so you get to be locked up down here."

Daisy set her jaw, pins and needles traveling down her hands and into her wrists. "Where are my friends? Are they aware of my situation?"

Ophelia chuckled darkly. "Oh, _heavens_ no. They don't even know who you _are_."

Daisy closed her eyes for a moment to process everything.

Everything seemed so damn hopeless right now. How could she ever get out of this situation?

"I bet you're feeling that familiar feeling of hopelessness," Ophelia said to Daisy, inspecting her own fingernails.

Daisy opened her eyes, feeling a little creeped-out that Ophelia seemed to have read her mind.

"And I have a way to fix that," Ophelia offered, making Daisy raise her head to look at her. Ophelia shrugged. "Just say the word, and I can put you with whoever or whatever you want. You can create whatever world you want for yourself. I can even recreate Lincoln for you."

Daisy perked up upon hearing Lincoln's name.

"Of course, you didn't seem to appreciate seeing him so much in your _last_ Framework scenario, but..."

"Please, just shut up," Daisy muttered.

Ophelia nodded, as if she'd been expecting Daisy's response. "Oh, well, I tried." She pulled her gun out and aimed it at Daisy, closing one eye. "Oh, how I wish I could kill you. You could mess up _so_ many of my plans."

Daisy wasn't even scared.

"But," Ophelia sighed. "I have to keep you alive. If you die in here, you die out there." She lowered the weapon and set it back in its holster.

Ophelia gave the young woman a moment to say something, but when she didn't, the former-robot continued, "I tried to help you, Daisy, I did."

"Yeah, BS," Daisy snapped. "You were just using me as your experiment, your guinea pig."

Ophelia shrugged. "Maybe, but my programming was to help humans. You have such a deep hatred for yourself. I tried to cure you, Daisy, I did."

Daisy looked down at her feet. "I think I'm long past being cured," she muttered darkly.

After a few silent moments, Ophelia finally stood up, setting the chair back in its place under the metal table. Before leaving, she turned back to Daisy. "You know, you're going to be in here a long time. I offered you a better life, Daisy, and you refused."

"It's all fake," Daisy said, more to herself than to Ophelia.

Ophelia shrugged as she propped the door open with her foot. "You wouldn't even know the difference. And, Daisy, you're not going to like who comes to see you next."

* * *

"Anything new from our prisoner?" Leopold asked his girlfriend, Ophelia, when she entered his office. He was under the impression that Daisy was just an insane potential Inhuman they kept prisoner.

Ophelia shook her head. "Nothing yet."

The Doctor rolled up his sleeves, slicking back his heavily-gelled hair. "Give me a chance to get some information out of her. Plus..." He cracked his knuckles. "...I need to take out my anger, and who better to do so on than a filthy Inhuman?"

"Is your father lecturing you again?" Ophelia asked her boyfriend, caressing his shoulder.

Leopold swallowed and tilted his head back and forth, cracking his neck. "Yep," he replied. "I appreciate him, but it never stops."

* * *

Daisy was elated to see her friend Fitz enter her cell. She perked up immediately, sitting up as best she could. "Fitz! Oh my God, am I glad to see you!"

His expression remained blank as he turned around to close the door behind him. This confused Daisy, and she scowled. "Fitz? You alright?" she asked.

He approached her, crouching down and grabbing her chin, inspecting her face. " _I_ am fine, Johnson," he said to her. He finally let go of her, getting the chair and sitting in front of her. "You, however, are not as lucky."

Daisy furrowed her brow when she saw the Hydra pin on his lapel. "Fitz...what? You're with _Hydra_?!"

Leopold shrugged, slicking his hair back yet again. "I take after my father."

"Your...fath..." Daisy began. A second later, she raised her eyebrows and nodded, understanding. "That's your one regret. Your father leaving you."

It was Leopold's turn to furrow his brow. "He did no such thing."

Daisy shrugged as best she could with the chains. "To you, I guess not. Please, Fitz, snap _out_ of it!"

Knowing she was clinically insane, The Doctor shrugged her odd comments off. He adjusted his button-down sleeves. "Miss Johnson, you know what you are, right? You know you have the Inhuman gene, correct?"

Daisy scoffed. "Sure."

"I'd really love it if you helped me with my experiments."

"Like hell I'd let you turn me into your Hydra lab rat."

Leopold's expression remained stoic as he put the chair back and came back to his prisoner, taking her face in his hands again. "Fine, if you don't want to cooperate today." He abruptly dropped her head from his grasp. "All the more opportunity for me to take out my anger on something."

"Fitz, what..."

Before she could say anything else, she felt a sharp, blossoming pain in her jaw as his fist ran full-blast into it. She grimaced.

"Fitz, no, you...You're my friend, I..." Her voice was trembling.

Leopold ignored her comments, knowing they were untrue. He landed a sharp kick to her gut, making her double over and gag. He took the opportunity to land a kick at her back, sending her way over to the right. Her battered body jerked right back to the same place, though, because of the restraints.

The Doctor released the chains from Daisy's wrists, but before she could retaliate, he grabbed her by the collar, lifting her to his height.

"Your kind is a scourge and a danger to society," Leopold spat.

"Please..." Daisy pleaded before receiving a painful uppercut from the man she thought was her friend.

She was dropped to the floor, making her hit her head on the floor as she landed. She curled into the fetal position, desperate for him to stop hurting her.

 _How could any version of Fitz do this to me?!_ she thought to herself as he continuously kicked her. Over and over, pain shook through her body.

Finally, the beating ceased. Leopold rolled down his sleeves, re-buttoning them. "That should do it," he said to himself, nodding curtly.

Daisy found herself coughing up blood. Leopold crouched down, holding her chin yet again. "Tomorrow, it begins. I _will_ get what I want from you, Daisy."

And with that, he stood up and left, leaving Daisy alone in her own shock and pain.

It was hard to believe that was the same man who'd been, so long ago, the first one to accept her for who she was.

* * *

Agent Melinda May was one of the best agents Hydra had. She was smart, quick, agile, and strong. She did as she was told without questions.

Usually.

Today as she entered The Doctor's office, she had a feeling something was off. She just had a feeling. Melinda could usually keep her emotions, her feelings in-check, but today, something was different.

"What can I do for you, sir?" May asked Leopold Fitz, the man she'd long taken orders from.

The Doctor stood from his desk, approaching his best agent and giving her a polite nod, his hands neatly folded behind his back. "Good afternoon, Agent May," he said to her, rather professionally.

"'Afternoon, sir. I heard you had some issues with a...prisoner?" May said to him, remembering what Ophelia had told her.

Leopold nodded. "Yes, yes. Our potential Inhuman, that blasted Daisy Johnson. She's gone entirely insane, it seems, and we can't get any information out of her."

Melinda narrowed her eyes. "Is she one of those who believes in...the Other World?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and nodded, leaning against his desk. "Yes, Agent May. She is one of them."

"Well, sir, did you want me to interrogate her?"

Leopold violently shook his head. "No, no, absolutely not. I need you to retrieve another clandestine prisoner." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out identification papers.

May looked at the paper. "Former Agent Jemma Simmons," she read out loud. She furrowed her brow, looking up at her superior. "But sir, I thought she was one of the scientists who died in the accident years ago?"

"On record, she did. That's why I needed a trusted agent to deal with her; she's not supposed to be alive. You see, Simmons was one of the few survivors of the accident. She _knows_ the truth about it, and we can't let that word get out. It would look horrible on Hydra's 'resume', so to speak. Miss Simmons has been in our clutches for _years_ , and I think I've finally found a use for her."

Melinda raised her eyebrows, egging on his response.

The Doctor nodded his head, as if confirming it in his own mind. "It's time to find out the _real_ differences between humans and Inhumans."

* * *

Agent Grant Ward wasn't Hydra's best, but he wasn't their worst, either. Ironically, his superior officers' only complaints about him usually revolved around him being _way_ too loyal. He always made decisions driven by what was best for someone he loved, and not what was best for Hydra. That made him untrustworthy, in May's opinion.

So she shoved him down into a job as the commanding officer of a few various strike teams. He only went out into the field when major conflicts were happening, but the majority of his time was spent checking civilian IDs on the roads.

A waste, maybe, but Hydra is not meant to take risks like that.

But today, Ward had to admit he was confused.

Why was his old high school history teacher, Mr. Coulson, being dragged into the Triskelion by Hydra agents?

* * *

"Please, I promise I meant no treason toward Hydra! I meant _none_ of that!" Phil pleaded as the Hydra agents dragged him from his apartment. A student had reported Coulson when he saw his homemade soap recipe hidden in his desk. The kid thought it was insubordination, or something like that. A paranoid kid, Coulson thought, who was overly loyal.

Overly loyal. That's been quite the theme in this version of the Framework.

And so, as he was dragged into the Triskelion, he couldn't help but be interested. His whole life, he'd dreamed of being allowed to enter such a place.

And yet here he was, being arrested for making his own soap. Yeah, maybe there was an inch of him that didn't trust Hydra, but that was just one inch of many. _Most_ of him trusted Hydra.

But yeah, leave it to Hydra to discover that one inch and arrest you for it.

* * *

Daisy was balled up on the floor of her cell. Not only did everything in her body hurt, but her emotions were _killing_ her.

Fitz had beat her. He was a high-up Hydra scientist/engineer. He was loyal to _Hydra_ , and he had just _beaten_ her simply because he wanted to.

There was no way the Fitz Daisy knew was capable of that. _No way_.

And yet her cracked ribs and black eyes said otherwise.

Suddenly, the cell door opened, making Daisy painfully jerk upright. Agonizing pain blossomed through her entire body, especially her chest. She grimaced and clutched her side, trying her best to get a look at who was entering her cell.

She didn't know that it was Alistair Fitz, so she almost felt refreshed upon seeing a new face.

And then she remembered she was locked in a Hydra place. In a simulated world. That snuffed all her hope out _right_ away.

"Hello, Miss Johnson," the older man said in a Scottish accent, leaning against the metal interrogation table and rolling up his sleeves.

Her mind was a little unclear from all the pain at that moment, but his actions and demeanor reminded Daisy of Fitz. Well, this new Hydra Fitz, anyway.

Daisy rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth as she managed to somewhat sit up properly, her back pressed against the wall. "You've shoved me in here, questioned me, beat me up. What else could you _possibly_ want?" she croaked, coughing up a bit of remaining blood onto the floor.

Alistair smirked, shifting his weight on his legs and tilting his head to study his son's prisoner. "No need to complain, dear. We haven't killed you yet."

She rolled her eyes back even farther, if that was possible. "It'd be a relief, at this point." She took in a painful breath, closing her eyes in hopes of willing away the agony.

Alistair righted himself, walking over to Daisy and squatting in front of her. Daisy nearly growled when she opened her eyes, seeing him right in front of her, creepily studying her. She jerked her head away when he tried to touch her face.

Alistair seemed offended. "Come on, now, I won't be hurting you." He stood, adjusting his necktie. "Unlike my son, I don't believe in hitting a girl."

Daisy scoffed. So _this_ was who turned Fitz into the Hydra monster.

"I don't believe in hitting one, but I never said I didn't believe in experimentation."

Daisy let her eyes close again at that statement. She was _so_ done.

"Miss Johnson, I hope you understand that this is nothing personal. It isn't your fault that you believe in nonsense and that you are a descendant of the Inhuman gene."

"You talk too much," Daisy muttered, still clutching her sore side as she opened her eyes.

Alistair seemed taken aback. He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Maybe, but you've no way or motive of escape, dear. No one knows you exist."

Daisy perked up at that sentence. Did he know about the simulation too? "Maybe because I don't belong here, and I wish you'd let me leave this place!" she hissed.

"'This place'? Do you mean your cell, or this world?" he inquired.

So, yeah. He _did_ know.

"I think you know the answer to that," Daisy mumbled.

Alistair sucked in a deep breath, tapping his foot against the floor. "You see, _this_ is why we had to hide you from the public. You went around on the streets, preaching this..." He waved his arms around in mockery. "...Framework nonsense to everyone. It wasn't good for Hydra's image."

Daisy had no memory of these events, but she decided to go along with it. "So, _what_ , you throw me in a cell and decide to _experiment_ on me just because I have a certain gene? That's messed up." She couldn't believe this was Fitz's dad.

"Miss Johnson, you are a threat to the public in _many_ ways. It was best we kept you hidden."

Before she could say another word, he raised his hand to stop her.

"Our experiments begin soon. Once we have the initial testing done, the main event begins."

" _Please_ ," Daisy muttered. It was unlike her to plead. "I'll do _anything_..."

What did it matter? This world was fake anyway.

Alistair shook his head. "It's long time we began."

* * *

Daisy shot daggers at the Hydra scientist who took her blood, and then a skin sample. He also fixed up her injuries, surprisingly. She had no idea what they wanted to do with her, but her questions were at least somewhat answered when a new prisoner was shoved into her cell.

Jemma Anne Simmons.

She looked horrified and traumatized. She was pasty-white, like she'd been inside for _years_. The poor girl's eyes were so wide with shock that it seemed they'd never blink.

"Simmons?!" Daisy shouted, excitedly standing up before remembering her injuries. She hissed and gripped her side, stumbling back to the floor.

"H-H-H-How do you know-know my n-n-name?" the British girl asked, shivering and trembling as if they were in the Antarctic.

Daisy furrowed her brow. "Don't you know me?"

"Um, n-n-no..."

Daisy scoffed. "Of _course_ not," she muttered under her breath.

After a moment, she motioned to the other girl to come toward her. Jemma hesitantly seated herself on the floor a few feet away from her cellmate.

Daisy turned to her. "Do you have any idea why we're in here together?"

Simmons shrugged. "D-D-Don't know..."

Daisy hated seeing her friend like this. She wished she had a jacket on so she could give it to the poor, shivering girl, but all Daisy wore was a Hydra prisoner jumpsuit.

She sighed, trying to fill Jemma in on at least what _she_ knew. "Well, they said they wanted to do an experiment on me because I'm a potential Inhuman."

"An experiment...y-yes, they, th-they took my b-bl-blood, and a s-sk-skin sample."

"Same with me."

Jemma furrowed her brow, crossing her arms for warmth. "B-But, I'm n-n-not an In-In-Inhuman..."

"Maybe they want to compare our results to one another."

"M-Maybe..." Jemma's thoughts seemed to trail off.

After a few silent minutes, Daisy gently grabbed Jemma's arm. "Hey, you okay? Where did you come from before this?" she asked her.

Simmons swallowed. "I...uh...H-Hydra...uh..."

This was obviously a painful topic for her. "It's okay, you- "

"They f-faked my d-d-death in an 'accident'. I was one of the few survivors of a lab accident, and th-they didn't want m-m-me to ex-expose the r-real s-story, that H-Hydra in-in-intentionally did it," she explained.

Daisy was concerned. "How long have you been here, Jemma?"

"Y- _Years_."

* * *

"So, what do you like to do?" Daisy asked Simmons, her new cellmate. She was just trying to make conversation in hopes of helping her friend take her mind off their current situation.

"I used to-to love s-science," Jemma replied, her shivering beginning to slow down. Daisy could now tell her voice was raspy from disuse.

Daisy nodded. "Oh, yeah? That's cool."

Simmons was finally starting to gather her bearings. "What's y-your name, by the w-way?"

Daisy sighed, coughing a little. "Daisy, Daisy Johnson."

"Nice to m-meet you, Daisy."

Daisy nodded, biting her lip to distract from the pain.

"Are you alright?" Simmons asked, touching the other girl's shoulder.

Daisy nodded, swallowing. "Oh, yeah."

Jemma knitted her eyebrows with concern. "What did they do to you?"

"The Doctor just decided to beat me up, so here we are."

"Oh, you poor dear..." Simmons gasped.

She turned to Jemma. "But, Simmons, it's nothing compared to whatever happened to _you_. You've been stuck inside for this long, I, I can't imagine that."

Simmons swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. Daisy noted that she was overly thin, but not frail.

After a moment, Jemma spoke. "Daisy, how...how did you know my name?" She narrowed her eyes at the brunette.

"Long story, but, you could say I knew the story of the 'accident', and how you 'died'," Daisy lied, hoping that would satisfy Simmons. She didn't want to try to convince her of the 'Other World' yet, for fear her emotional state wouldn't be able to handle such a realization. Being stuck in a prison for years with no outside contact and minimal necessities sounded _torturous_ , even if they were false, implanted memories.

The girls were silent for a while. Hours, it felt. They spoke more as the day went on, but never for long periods of time.

Once over a day had passed, Daisy started to get very hungry. Hydra hadn't brought her food since she'd woken up in this version of the Framework, and though she might not be in reality, she was still starving her head off. Not to mention, Simmons was getting even paler (if that was possible) and clearly needed _something_ in her system before she'd pass out.

She stood from the floor, grimacing at the movement, and - gripping her side - she stumbled toward the cell door. She knocked on it, hoping someone would answer. "Hello? Simmons and I need some help here!" she shouted. "Maybe some food would be nice!" She continued to bang on the door until her knuckles hurt.

Defeated, Daisy sighed and made her way back to her little "Corner of Sorrow", as she'd come to call it in her thoughts.

God, it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Jemma must've noticed this. "Hey, Daisy, you know, I used to be a doctor. I can help with that."

Daisy curled in on herself, wanting food and water. "No, I'm...um...I'm fine."

Simmons grabbed her shoulder, trying to turn her new friend over on her back. "You're clearly not." Daisy jerked away from Jemma, but immediately regretted it. Pain shot through her body and she nearly screamed.

 _Damn, Fitz, you give quite the beatings, don't you?_ Daisy thought to herself.

"Let me help. Being around another decent human being has already helped my condition so much. Let me return the favor."

Daisy rolled her eyes, rolling over to her back to allow Simmons to unzip the front of her prisoner jumpsuit, leaving her undershirt on. Jemma tapped her ribs in various places, trying to remember her medical training. Daisy winced.

Simmons sighed, tilting her head then shaking it in dismay. "You need ice and a soft bed for this to properly heal, Daisy. I wish someone would come in here and tend to us." She said that last part rather loudly, hoping the mics on the security camera in the corner of the room would pick up on it.

"I guess they're just gonna ignore us," Simmons observed with an eye-roll.

* * *

"How very peculiar," Alistair Fitz observed, watching the security feed of Daisy and Jemma's cell. "We deprive a similarly-aged human and Inhuman of all necessities, and yet they confide in each other."

Leopold sighed. "It seems this will only be extending their lifespans," he said, rather disappointed. "I wanted to know who would die first, but it seems that will be taking much longer than _anticipated_." He made sure to articulate every syllable of "anticipated".

Alistair turned to his son. "Perhaps we should send in someone to speed it up. Drug both of them to slow their hearts down."

Leopold shook his head, putting a "stop" hand up. "No, that would spoil the results. We must let it take its natural course."

Leopold's father nodded. "Understood, son."

The Doctor set his jaw as he watched the two women help each other. It angered him. He could never imagine a human helping an _In_ human.

But that's what experiments are for, right?

* * *

Phil swallowed, tilting his head back to gather his bearings. He was locked in an interrogation cell, handcuffed to the table. The metal chair was exceedingly uncomfortable and he was getting tired of waiting.

He guessed he wasn't Hydra's top priority right now, but he was okay with that.

* * *

Daisy finally decided she wanted to sleep, just so she could forget about her hunger for a minute. There were no pillows nor furniture in the room (it had all been removed before Jemma had been tossed in), so they had to make do with what they had. Daisy chose to rip the top half of her jumpsuit off, considering she was wearing a t-shirt underneath anyway, and make that ball of fabric into her pillow. Jemma followed her example and ended up doing the same with her own jumpsuit.

It wasn't exactly comfortable, especially for a person with multiple cracked ribs, but both girls were able to get a few hours of sleep in as they laid near Daisy's Corner of Sorrow.

Little did they know they were left there to die. Their hope might have run out much faster if they'd known.

* * *

When his interrogation cell door opened the next evening, Phil had to admit he wasn't expecting his former student to enter. "Grant?" he asked, squinting to get a better look at the young man. Grant had been one of Phil's best students; he may have had a hard life at home, but he was a diligent and respectful worker.

"Mr. Coulson, we meet again," Ward said to him as he shut the door, taking his place across the table from him.

Coulson raised his eyebrows, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Don't tell me one of my students is already old enough to be a Hydra agent," he bantered.

Ward smirked. "I was one of your first, wasn't I?"

Phil ran his tongue across his teeth, nodding. "You were. I'm glad to see you're so successful, Grant."

Grant scoffed, looking away at the wall. "Yeah, well, not successful _enough_."

"What do you mean?" Phil furrowed his brow, tilting his head.

Grant bit his lip, still focused on the wall. "None of my superior officers deemed me worthy to move toward my full potential. So I'm stuck doing menial tasks like _this_." He said, rather salty, as he turned back to his former teacher.

Coulson rolled his eyes. "There was _no_ need for detaining me, Grant. I only made my own soap."

"One of your students reported it as insubordination, so we're opted to inspect the situation," Ward told him mechanically.

"Since when does Hydra listen to the trivial hunches of children?"

Ward narrowed his eyes at Phil. "Hydra will take any opportunity to protect the public."

Coulson raised his hands in mock surrender as best he could with the handcuffs. "Hey, I get it. I definitely do. I'm with Hydra, one-hundred percent. I promise you I meant _nothing_ by making my own soap."

"Your student who you've demeaned to trivial thinks otherwise. He said you had notes in your desk as well saying not to buy our soap anymore, that it would brainwash you."

Coulson chuckled nervously. "You think I believe that brainwashing nonsense? That kid you're talking about is quite imaginative, trust me."

Grant didn't appear amused. After a few moments of agonizing silence and Ward staring right into Phil's soul, the former raised an accusing finger. "We've got our eyes on you, Philip Coulson. Another report of insubordination and there goes your job and freedom."

"Yes, sir, of course," Phil stammered as Ward took out a key and unlocked his cuffs. The agent stood up, opening the door and holding it for Phil.

"Thank you," Coulson mumbled on his way out.

Phil was so glad he got out unscathed. Sure, they'd left him in there for almost two days to make him learn his lesson, but he'd been afraid he would be locked up for good because of the damn soap. Did he believe the brainwashing stuff? Maybe not. But did it make him feel more clear-minded to use his own soap? It did.

His thoughts were interrupted when he realized he was lost. He must have not noticed that he'd gone down a few wrong staircases and through a few wrong hallways here and there.

"Damn," he muttered, searching the doors. He nearly jumped when he heard the muffled voice of a Scottish man shouting from the other side of one of the doors. Afraid for his life, Phil kept moving until he came across someone yelling for help.

"PLEASE!" came the voice of a young American woman. "SHE'S PASSED OUT AND I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S ALIVE!" A deep and painful-sounding cough came from the same woman.

From his kind instincts, Phil decided to try and open the door. To his surprise, it wasn't locked. _Some newbie agent must have forgotten,_ he thought as he pushed the thick concrete door open.

The woman on the other side had dark brown hair and looked too young to be in her condition. She was bruised all over and her face was covered in blood and cuts. She looked pale and exhausted and wore the garb of Hydra's most secure prisoners.

 _How did I get myself down here?!_ Coulson asked himself.

"Coulson?" the girl croaked, her voice raspy from all the shouting.

"How..."

"Of _course_ you don't know me, either," Daisy mumbled, annoyed.

"Um, are you alright? I heard you yelling..."

"Just come in," Daisy said, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. She shut the door, but not before removing her boot and sticking it in the door so they could get out again.

Phil gasped when he saw the other young woman lying in the corner. She was even paler than the first girl, and didn't appear to be breathing.

"What happened to you all?" Phil wanted to know.

The darker-haired woman had to sit on the floor to take a moment to breathe. "They've left us in here for days. No food, no water..." She trailed off, her eyes beginning to gloss over. Phil could tell she was about to pass out, too.

Coulson had no idea what to do nor what he had gotten himself into. There went his only chance. He just decided to go over to the paler girl and check her pulse.

"She's alive, but her pulse is weak," he told the other woman, remembering the med training he had to take before becoming a schoolteacher. He turned to her, furrowing his brow. What could Hydra possibly want with two innocent-looking girls? How could they treat them this badly?

Phil decided upon an easy question, not knowing the emotional state of either woman: "What's your name?"

"Daisy," the darker-haired girl told him, letting out a staggered breath and a cough. "She's Jemma." She pointed a weak finger toward the paler girl.

* * *

"Dammit," Agent May hissed as she watched the security feed. She never trusted that Agent Wilmer and should have expected him to leave the girls' cell unlocked after poking his head in to check on them as they slept.

And now a civilian was in there helping them? The Doctor would be _pissed_ ; May knew that much. He couldn't have his experiment fail like this.

So she took it upon herself to take care of the problem.

* * *

"What did you all do to get in here?" Coulson asked, stating the obvious.

"I could ask the same question of you." Daisy coughed. Phil could tell she was fading fast.

"I'm um, I'm not a Hydra agent," he told her. "I accidentally found myself down here." He walked over to Daisy and crouched next to her, putting a calming hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? Why are you all beaten-up? Jemma isn't."

"I'm a..." Daisy coughed, her eyelids getting heavier by the minute. "...potential Inhuman."

"You're a _what_?!" Phil hissed, surprised. He stood up, moving away from the young woman.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Come _on_ , Coulson. I'm not going to hurt you..." She coughed a few more times before her head lolled to the side, her body collapsing to the floor. She was trembling.

Phil didn't know what to do. He just wanted to go home...

The door opened, making him jump in surprise. Melinda May stormed in, slamming the door behind her after kicking Daisy's boot out of the way.

May grabbed Phil's arm. "The hell are you doing down here?!" she hissed.

Coulson gaped, unsure of his explanation. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I got lost and these ladies needed help..."

"They're not good people," May told him, pulling him toward the door.

"Oh..." Phil trailed off.

Just as she was about to shove the civilian man out the door, May looked down at the prisoner she suspected was Daisy Johnson. She'd never seen the girl in-the-flesh, and there was something about her that seemed...familiar...

"Miss, I think they need a doctor," Phil suggested, trying to seem as innocent as possible.

May ignored Phil. She was too invested in figuring out where she knew the girls from. She couldn't explain it, but something snapped in her and she wondered why she was letting her superiors slowly kill the innocent women. Neither of them had done anything wrong.

"You wait right here," May told Phil, letting go of him. She walked toward Daisy and squatted next to her, gently trailing her slender fingers across the girl's broken face. She was cold, _too_ cold, and paler than she should be. May heard her struggle to breathe, even as she was unconscious. She needed a doctor right away. Here she was, all battered up and water-deprived, all because she had a specific gene and said things that went against Hydra's teachings.

This wasn't right.

Disturbed, May walked over to the other young woman. She didn't have any cuts or bruises, but her condition was similar to Daisy's. She, too, was dehydrated and cold.

"We need to get moving before The Doctor sees the security feed," May said to Phil.

Phil scowled. "I- "

"Shut up and help me," May hissed, grabbing Jemma from under her arms and lifting her to her feet, wrapping the younger woman's arm around her shoulder. Coulson followed May's example and did the same with Daisy. He heard her wince from the sudden movement and mouthed, "sorry".

The group started to leave the cell but was interrupted by none other than Leopold Fitz and his father.

"Agent May," Leopold said, as if he'd been expecting this the whole time. He smirked. "I see you've made your decision with this."

May gently handed Jemma over to Coulson and clenched her fists, preparing for a fight. "Those women did nothing wrong. Neither of them. And yet you left them to die for a dumb experiment?! Now, _that_ , that is not right."

Leopold's smug expression remained on his face as he laced his hands together. "It's what's best for Hydra. Discovery requires- "

"Experimentation," Daisy finished for him, surprising everyone. Her eyes were open in slits as she pulled away from Coulson, grabbing the wall for support.

The Doctor's smirk widened. "Why, yes, Miss Johnson. That is what I was going to say."

During all of this, Alistair had sounded the silent alarm from his smartwatch. May had been the only one to notice.

"Sorry not sorry," May said before delivering a punch to Leopold's face, immediately knocking him out. Alistair tried to defend himself but May was able to knock him out as well.

She nodded at Coulson. "Let's go." She grabbed Daisy and strung her arm around her back, making her way down the hallway.

Going up the steps was quite the struggle. Coulson ended up switching to carrying Simmons bridal-style, it was just easier that way. Daisy had to just try to walk by herself, using the handrail. She barely had any grip, but with May's help, everyone ended up making it to the top of the staircase.

When May opened the door leading to the back exit corridor, she should have been expecting the strike team waiting for them. She groaned, annoyed, and released Daisy before managing to knock down the whole team in a few moments.

Phil was in awe the whole time.

They finally made it outside and May rushed to her small car, taking out her keys and unlocking it. Phil helped her toss the girls into the backseat then hopped into the shotgun, quickly strapping on his seatbelt as May floored the gas pedal.

Her tires screeched as May rushed out of the parking lot, swerving in hopes of Hydra losing their trail.

"Do you have any idea where to go?!" May asked Phil frantically.

"Actually, I do!" Phil shouted over the loud sirens coming from the Hydra vehicles behind them.

"Well?!" May yelled.

"I happen to know where SHIELD's base is!"

May scowled. "SHIELD?!"

Coulson nodded. "They still exist! I'm a bit of a history buff, and I must admit- "

"Shut up, will you?!" May snapped as she swerved into an alley, nearly running into the building on the left side of it.

Eventually, after lots of random alleyways, they lost their tail of Hydra vehicles. Phil directed May to where they needed to go.

* * *

A man Phil recognized as the Patriot opened the door to the SHIELD base. His eyes widened upon seeing his visitors. "You? How did a Hydra agent get this location..."

"It's fine, we come in peace," May assured him. She motioned to Daisy and Jemma. "They need medical attention."

Jeffrey Mace was skeptical but let them inside, making sure no one else was with them before shutting the large yellow doors with his badge.

Coulson was in awe. To a history buff, SHIELD's base seemed like heaven.

"The, uh, the med bay is that way," Jeffrey told them, motioning toward the area we know as the lab.

May nodded, and Phil followed her toward the area. They were greeted by a tired-looking agent in a sweater. He led them to a row of beds and May and Coulson set the girls on their own beds.

"What happened to them?" the agent, Barns, asked as he grabbed a stethoscope from a nearby table.

May sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for _ever_ allowing Leopold to start the experiment. "They wanted to compare how long a human and an Inhuman would survive without necessities. They haven't had water or food for over two days."

Barns was listening to Daisy's breathing. He transferred to Jemma's a moment later. Then he gently checked each girl's lower eyelids. "They need hydration immediately," he said monotonically.

May nodded, understanding. Mace tapped her shoulder. "I need you all to come with me," he said to her and Phil.

Phil and May eyed each other, but both nodded and followed Mace out of the med bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a reminder to get help if you or someone you know struggles with mental issues or ones similar to those mentioned in this story.
> 
> I hope to finish this up with two more chapters or so.


	7. Dystopian SHIELD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy faces the challenges that come with being the only SHIELD agent aware of the Other World.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: vomiting

Agent Mackenzie of SHIELD had been working there since he was a legal adult. As a kid, his parents indoctrinated him in Hydra's teachings to the point of him _hating_ Hydra, so when he finally turned eighteen, he spent two years working out the logistics to find SHIELD, the Resistance, and become an agent.

Now, here he was, one of their best mechanics and field agents.

Agent "Mack" was sitting in the old Director's office, looking through some paperwork. Ever since the rise of Hydra and the fall of most of SHIELD, though, it didn't exclusively belong to the Director. Heck, everything was so informal now that there wasn't really an _official_ director.

Mack yawned. He'd barely gotten any sleep last night. He'd read an article about a new project of The Doctor's and it made him sick to his stomach. How could civilians _possibly_ not question Hydra's methods?

Someone knocked on the door. Without looking up from the paperwork, Mack said, "Come on in."

Jeffrey Mace entered, two unfamiliar people in-tow. Mack stood up immediately upon seeing the Hydra logo on the woman's clothing. He pointed his gun at her. "What are you doing in our SHIELD base?!" Mack knew SHIELD couldn't afford to lose their only security, their base.

May raised her hands in surrender.

Mace raised his hand to stop Mack. "Mack, it's fine. She's with us."

Mack narrowed his eyes but lowered his gun nonetheless. "Who are these people?"

"We just want to help," May told him.

Mace butted in: "She and this civilian saved two women from Hydra's experiments. If it weren't for them, two innocent people would be dead right now at the hands of Hydra."

Mack clenched his jaw, glaring at May. "I'm sure _many_ more than two people have died at the hands of _her_. She's one of the highest-ranking Hydra agents!"

May kept her hands raised in surrender. "I assure you, I am on your side. I realize how inhumane and blatantly _wrong_ Hydra's methods are, and I want to help stop them."

After a few moments of intense stare-down, Mack spoke: "How are the victims?"

"We're not sure yet; they just got here a little bit ago. But I'm sure they'll live," Mace told his fellow agent.

Mack nodded. "Good. I'm glad you all got them out of there." He squinted at Coulson. "By the way, man, what's your name?"

"I'm Phil. Phil Coulson," he told Mack, holding out his hand to shake hands. "I'm a—well, I used to be—a history teacher at the high school. Hydra brought me in for a report of insubordination, and then I stumbled across a cell and...well, here we are."

"Thanks for joining our side, brother," Mace said to Phil, patting the smaller man on the back.

Mack sighed, looking back at the article from last night. "We'll have to get some more information out of the victims you all saved, if they're not too traumatized when they wake up. Maybe we can stop these experiments for good."

May nodded. "I have a lot of intel as well. I'd be glad to help."

Mace seemed on-board with May's statement, but Mack remained skeptical.

* * *

When Daisy awoke, she was so surprised to see that she was in the Playground that she sat straight up in her bed.

"Hey, easy, there," someone said to her, their hand moving to her chest and pushing her back to a laid-down position. Daisy turned her head to see an unfamiliar man wearing a sweater with a clipboard in his hands. He was seated on a swivel stool and recording something on the chart.

Next to her was another bed, and she could see Jemma in it. The other girl was still asleep, and Daisy silently hoped she was alright.

"Why..." Daisy began, then started to cough violently. She hadn't drunk any water for days, and it was finally starting to show in her voice. She noticed an IV in her hand, and her eyes trailed up to the drip bag. She guessed it was fluids to help hydrate her.

"Here you go," the man in the sweater said to her, grabbing a water bottle with a straw and handing it to her without looking up from his clipboard. Daisy took a shaky hand and held the bottle as best she could, but she couldn't find the strength and somehow she ended up spilling it all over herself.

The man sighed, annoyed, and finally set down his clipboard. He got up for a minute and came back with a towel, tossing it to Daisy.

Seeing that she didn't even have the strength to dry herself off, he grumbled angrily to himself before helping her dry off. He must've been too rough with her because he made Daisy wince from her cracked ribs.

"God, you're covered in..." He scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Prison stuff. I'd better get you both a change of clothes."

He reached into a drawer next to him and pulled out some spare t-shirts and running shorts, setting one set on the foot of Simmons's bed and holding the other.

Barns sighed, not wanting to have to deal with changing the girls, but he knew well and good they were both too weak to do so themselves and that there weren't any other med agents—he'd been hoping female—available to help.

"I've got it," came a woman's voice. Barns turned around to see Melinda May, the former Hydra agent, behind him.

"Ma'am..." he started.

"Don't worry. I've done this multiple times before. I trained to be a nurse a year before I decided to switch jobs," May explained to him.

Barns swallowed, but took the opportunity to receive help. "Thank you. I have to go check their bloodwork anyway," he mumbled, handing the clothes to May then leaving to go do as he said, shutting the hospital curtain behind him.

May walked up to Daisy, noticing her soaked shirt and jumpsuit. She grabbed another water bottle for her, holding it up to her lips and letting her take a few sips. "Not too fast," she told the young woman.

Daisy nodded, understanding, as she gratefully swallowed the water. Everything felt a little fuzzy, but she was glad to be awake.

"Do you need help with this?" May asked Daisy, pointing to the clothes in her hands.

"N..." Daisy began. In real life, she'd trust the woman with anything, but this May was _different_. "You help Jemma first. Let me see try on my own."

May nodded, handing the clothes to Daisy and going to the other, unconscious patient and gently changing her into the clean SHIELD clothes.

Daisy reached down, trying to get the hem of her wet tee over her head, but her arms just felt like noodles. Her muscles were nearly unusable. She pulled and yanked, frustrated when she got nowhere. She huffed and pulled one more time, but felt a sharp pinch in her hand as she did do.

"Crap," Daisy mumbled when she noticed her IV had popped out from all the force. She took the bedsheets and pressed them to her bleeding hand, hoping to stop it before someone noticed.

"Everything okay?" May asked Daisy. She was done changing Jemma. She turned around and gasped when she saw Daisy's situation.

"Not exactly!" Daisy shouted. Her frustration was getting the better of her. She hated to be so weak. She tugged at her shirt with all her might and managed to rip it over her head, screaming in frustration as she tossed the damp thing to the floor. She shouted a few curse words as she started to work on her socks, with no luck.

"Daisy, hon, you need to calm down," May said to her, putting firm hands on the girls' shoulders to get her to stop. She knew Daisy had multiple cracked ribs and injuries and didn't want her to hurt herself more.

Daisy just yelled, "NO!" as she struggled against May. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled with her emotions. This was _all_ too much. First, she got brainwashed and hurt her friends, then Lincoln died because of her, then she abandoned her family at SHIELD, then she started harming herself, then she came back to SHIELD and was discovered for it, then Aida kidnapped her and shoved her into the Framework, and then it all led to _this_. Being _weak_ all over again. "THIS ISN'T EVEN REAL!" she screamed.

Daisy felt like rolling off the bed and curling up on the floor forever. But she didn't have the strength to break free of May's grasp. The tears poured out then.

She was out of control of her life _all over again_.

"BARNS!" May shouted. A moment later, the man in the sweater reappeared.

"What is it?" he asked May.

"She won't calm down!" May answered. "She ripped out her IV and..."

Before she could finish, Barns had already injected Daisy with a sedative. The girl's head lolled to the side and her body relaxed.

May leaned back, taking her hands off of Daisy. She sucked in a deep breath, taking in the havoc _her_ organization had wreaked on this girl's body.

How could she have _ever_ signed up for that?!

May didn't know what she was doing, but she found herself stroking Daisy's head affectionately. Once Barns had re-inserted her IV and was gone, she very gently pulled off the rest of Daisy's jumpsuit and slid on the running shorts. Barns had told May to leave Daisy with just her sports bra on so he could put ice packs on her to let her ribs heal and breathe a little.

May rubbed Daisy's shoulder one more time before leaving the little room, shutting the curtain behind her.

* * *

Coulson found May in the break room, sipping water from a clear glass. She was staring off into the distance, contemplating everything that had led her to this moment.

How could she have _ever_ been so cruel? Where was her sympathy when she watched her colleagues toss those girls into that cell to die? Where was her sympathy as she watched hundreds of Inhumans die simply for a gene they had? _Where_ was her sympathy when her colleagues took thousands away from their families just for thinking differently?

"Hey." Phil's voice interrupted her thoughts. May turned to the man and mustered up a small smile.

"Hey, Mr. Coulson," she said.

He seated himself next to her at the bar. "I heard Daisy wasn't doing so well."

"She's just frustrated," May told him. "From the start, she was one of those prisoners deemed mentally unstable."

"Oh..." Phil began. Daisy hadn't _seemed_ insane when he first met her.

May shook her head. "I wish I could know more of her story. Back at the Triskelion, I had been brainwashed to think everything that girl said was nonsense, was bullcrap. But today, it's really made me think there might be some truth to her words."

Phil squinted. "What kind of things did she say?"

"Well, from her reports, I know she said some things about another world besides this one. That _this_ world is only a simulation."

Coulson swallowed, raising his eyebrows. "Now _that's_ something to chew on."

May nodded in agreement. "I didn't believe her at first, either, but here I am now."

Coulson sighed deeply. "I just don't know what my students are gonna think. It's like I just disappeared from my old life."

"To join a better one," May mumbled, paraphrasing her own thoughts.

Phil nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that's a good way to put it."

* * *

When Simmons awoke her first thought was, _Am I dead?_

Secretly, she'd been wishing for death ever since she'd been eternally locked in that Hydra basement, but she had to admit she was a little scared of it right now.

When she opened her eyes, she was _elated_ to find herself:

A. On an actual bed

B. In clean clothes

C. Being tended to medically (the IV)

D. Not at a Hydra base! (At least, she didn't _think_ so)

Simmons turned to the bed next to her. She saw Daisy, her newfound friend, asleep. She didn't appear to be sleeping peacefully, though. A scowl was across her face and her breathing looked painful, as usual. Cold ice packs covered her abdomen and chest and a similar IV was inserted in her hand. Her facial wounds had been tended to and fixed with Steri-Strips.

Jemma felt bad for Daisy. She was clearly in worse condition than her, all because she was a potential Inhuman.

Simmons had a feeling there was more to Daisy's story than she was letting on. She was eager to find out _what_.

* * *

When Daisy's consciousness resurfaced, her first thought was whether she'd escaped the Framework yet. She was fed up with the damn simulation and it sure as hell hadn't helped her mental health.

God, why did this all have to happen to her?

But when she opened her eyes, she remembered where she was. The Playground looked different here. It was sad and less full of life than the real one.

She could just tell.

She noticed that the color in her usually-tan skin was beginning to come back. The IV that was in her hand had been taken out and replaced with a gauze bandage. She felt a lot better, other than her stomach. Her belly ached worse than she could remember, second only to getting shot by Quinn. She guessed it was from the lack of food over the past few days, but geez, her stomach felt so tight and sore.

Daisy rolled to her side and noticed that the bed next to her was empty. Jemma must've left.

She let out a deep sigh and sat up, biting her lip at the tight pain in her belly. Her ribs felt better, though, she had to admit. She felt pretty chilly without a shirt on so she grabbed a tee from the counter behind her bed, sliding it over her head. It was much too big for her but it was better than just a sports bra.

Daisy yawned, taking a water bottle sitting on the aforementioned counter and taking greedy gulps.

All that water was making her realize how hungry she was. She realized that they'd probably given her food supplements through her IV, but that wasn't near as good as real, solid food. She hadn't eaten any solid food since she'd woken up in this version of the Framework.

Then she started to think about her real-life body. Was she alive? Was she injured? Had Aida killed her already?

She didn't want to think about it.

Daisy opened the hospital curtain and shakily walked out of the little hospital room. Through the glass walls, Daisy saw a huge group of civilian families sitting on cots, like a hostel or campsite of some sort.

Daisy took her trembling, weak hand and managed to open the dusty glass door, walking out into the hallway. Agents dressed in simple civilian clothes roamed the corridor, carrying old-fashioned technology or even just plain books.

 _Gosh, this version of SHIELD must have lost its funding,_ Daisy thought.

She decided to try and find the common room. When she did, she immediately regretted it. Huge groups of people, agents, stood in the room, talking over various things. It was overstimulating and hard to handle for someone who had recently been left to die in a Hydra cell.

Daisy's heart started to race when she walked a little closer to the people and saw a familiar face: Jeffrey Mace. He was dressed in an odd, patriotic outfit with armor and his hair seemed grayer than real life. His energy had also seemed to disappear. He was talking to someone, and Daisy gasped when she saw that it was Mack.

"Mack?!" she exclaimed, not sure if her lethargic self was just seeing things.

Both men stopped talking and turned to the sloppily-dressed girl. The men locked eyes, silently planning their next move.

Suddenly, a warm smile appeared on Mace's face, his arm going up to roughly squeeze Daisy's shoulder. "You must be Daisy Johnson," Jeffrey said to her cheerfully. He met her eyes. "Glad to see you up."

Not wanting the contact, Daisy jerked away from Mace's hand on her shoulder, stumbling back farther than she'd anticipated. She lost her footing and had to grab a table to keep from falling flat on her back.

Jeffrey Mace was who _started_ this whole thing. He'd discovered her cuts on her arms and told Aida, who then kidnapped her and brought her here and...

Mack furrowed his brow. "You alright?"

When she didn't respond, Jeffrey turned to Mack. "Maybe she got up too early. Barns never gave her the all-clear."

Mack walked over to Daisy and tried to take her arm, but she jerked away again, scowling. "Don't touch me," she whispered, barely audible. She looked down at her feet and, without looking up, said, "Do either of you remember me?"

"Well, yeah," Mace replied. "You're one of the victims of Leopold Fitz's experi- "

"Yes," Daisy said, interrupting him. "But do you _really_ remember me, Mace?"

Mace furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, I- "

"Mack. _You_ have to remember me!" Daisy turned to the tall man.

Mack gaped, having no idea what to say. "I..."

Daisy sighed and turned around, heading toward the kitchen part of the common room. She went to the fridge and took out a loaf of bread, taking two slices out of the plastic. She tried to eat it in small bites, but found herself too hungry to resist scarfing the food down.

When she was done, her stomach felt fuller than it had ever felt. She nodded, content with herself, and left the common room.

Daisy went straight for where she remembered the locker rooms to be. She grabbed a towel from the table and rushed into the shower room, turning on the water and making sure it got to a piping-hot temperature.

Not having a locker of her own, Daisy set her clothes on the wooden bench right outside her shower stall. She opened the curtain and headed inside the now-steamy stall, the hot water feeling so very good on her untouched skin.

 _But this isn't real,_ she reminded herself. That thought was always at the back of her head. She wished she had the power to leave this place, but she had no idea how to go about doing so. Plus, Aida or Ophelia or whatever must be looking for her. Hell, the robot _made_ this world; she was bound to know where Daisy was.

What if "Ophelia" found her? Would she kill her so she wouldn't reveal the secrets of the Framework to everyone?

And what did it matter, anyway? She was stuck in a simulation and there was no way out.

No way out.

Daisy's heart started to beat impeccably fast. The steam and humidity everywhere was making her nauseous. Quickly, she turned the water off and backed up against the wall, gripping it as she tried so desperately to breathe.

No way out.

_No way out._

_NO WAY OUT._

"DAMMIT!" Daisy hissed, sliding down the wall and curling up into a ball on the floor. She trembled with every breath. Her ribs, her stomach, her entire body ached.

Did anything even _matter_ anymore?

It sure didn't _seem_ like it.

Daisy felt very sick and she sat up frantically before retching all over the floor of the stall. There went those two slices of bread.

Her stomach ached and Daisy had to grab her midsection before gagging again. The nausea was suffocating her, it seemed. Tears of frustration spilled out of her eyes.

Her eyes felt like they would roll back into her head. Daisy stared at her own throw-up and the shower drain. Both seemed to sway as she sat there, freezing and trembling and sick.

Without knowing what was happening, Daisy felt a warm towel on her shoulders and slender but strong arms helping her to stand.

* * *

May didn't sleep that well her first night at the SHIELD base. Was Hydra looking for her? She was a traitor, wasn't she?

Yeah, she was proud of herself for betraying Hydra, but she had to admit she was a little scared for her own life. Plus, her new roommate snored like crazy.

The next morning, she headed to the med bay to check on Daisy. She'd been wanting to have a conversation with the girl for a while now about the "Other World".

But Daisy wasn't in her bed. May asked Barns about the young woman's whereabouts and he said he didn't know. May angrily lashed out at him but went on her way.

There was something in May that made her deeply care about Daisy. Yeah, she'd just met the girl, but she felt a weird feeling, an obligation, an _instinct_ to care for her.

She didn't know what it was, but it was feeling more and more familiar by the hour.

Eventually, May found herself heading to the locker room to get in a good shower. Maybe she'd find Daisy along the way.

Sure enough, just as she walked into the shower room, she started to hear sobs. The showerhead in the fourth stall abruptly turned off and she heard someone gagging then throwing up, then crying uncontrollably.

May's maternal instincts made her open the stall. She didn't care whose privacy she violated; someone needed consolation and she sure as hell was going to be the one to deliver it.

Melinda wasn't surprised to see that Daisy was the one who'd been throwing up. She took her own fresh towel and crouched down, wrapping it around Daisy's cold and trembling figure. She helped the girl to stand up, putting a soothing hand on her back as she led her out of the stall, sitting her on the bench and kneeling to meet her eyes.

"What happened, Daisy?" May asked gently.

Daisy's lip was quivering. Though she was looking into May's eyes, her eyes were empty and blank.

May gently shook the young woman. "Daisy. Answer me, kid."

Daisy bit her lip to stop it from quivering, to the point she drew blood. She felt ill and hungry at the same time as her stomach aching like nothing else. She curled her toes, the pain and chill too much to handle at the moment.

No way out.

"Hey, do you want me to get Barns? I know they're low on resources but he might be able to conjure up something to help calm you down," May offered.

"No," Daisy said, violently shaking her head.

May rubbed Daisy's arm through the towel. "Okay, okay."

There were a few silent minutes before May finally took it upon herself to get an extra towel and stand behind Daisy, gently and affectionately drying her long, dark hair off. She noticed Daisy was trembling less and less as she did so.

May grabbed a hairbrush from the shelf on the wall and started to gently comb through Daisy's tangles.

"Do you feel like talking now?" she asked gently as she took an elastic off the neck of the brush and pulled Daisy's hair into a loose ponytail.

Daisy didn't respond. She was staring off into the distance.

May followed Daisy's gaze to the pile of clothes across the way. "You want to get dressed?"

Daisy just nodded. "Please," she croaked, her throat dry and hurting from the acid in her vomit.

May nodded, understanding, and grabbed the clothing. She handed it to Daisy.

"Thanks, Mom," Daisy said quietly.

May was taken aback. She furrowed her brow. " _Mom_? Daisy, hon, I barely even know you." Yeah, she'd taken a liking to the girl, but not _that_ quickly. Back when she was training to be a nurse, she'd read that when someone is first released from captivity, they can easily become attached to the first person who saved them.

Daisy was a little embarrassed. "Yeah, well, you do," she mumbled.

May forced Daisy to look into her eyes. "In the 'Other World', right? Do I know you in the Other World?"

Daisy swallowed. "You all call it that, I don't."

"What do _you_ call it, Daisy?"

"The real world."

* * *

Reluctantly, May left Daisy alone to give her some time to gather her bearings. The older woman decided she'd check on the other victim, Jemma, while she had time.

May found the British girl in the Inhuman refuge area. She was sitting on one of the cots with Phil next to her, his arm around her shoulder as little tears escaped her eyes.

"How is she?" May whispered to Coulson when she approached the group.

Phil sighed. "She's okay. Just overwhelmed from all the people around her. She's only ever interacted with a few guards over the years."

May nodded in understanding and she gently tucked a strand of hair behind Jemma's ear. She and Phil had developed a parent-like relationship over the two girls and it was warming May's heart.

"Maybe it'll help for her to see Daisy," Phil proposed to May. "They were close, weren't they?"

May bit her lip. "I don't know, Phil. She's not doing the best."

Coulson furrowed his brow. "How so?"

"She had a panic attack, threw up everywhere. I tried to get her to see Barns again but she's refusing. Something about it doesn't matter because this isn't real."

Phil pursed his lips. "She still thinks none of this is real?" He gently rubbed Jemma's back again.

May nodded. "She's referring to the Other World as the 'real' world."

"May, you shouldn't have left her."

"She insisted."

"You still shouldn't have left her."

"Phil, God only knows what you would've done in that situation! The girl wanted some time alone, so I respected that." May was clenching her teeth in anger.

"But what if she's tried to do something to herself?! Hmm!? _That's_ on you!"

The older adults didn't notice, but their yelling was making Simmons shake with fear.

"Dammit, Phil!" May hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "She. Wanted. _Privacy_!"

"At her own expense! Where is she, Melinda?! Tell me where she is so I can find her and make sure she's okay."

May didn't respond. Her lips were sealed.

Phil scoffed, standing up and practically handing Jemma over to May. "I'm going to find her," he declared, marching out of the lab.

* * *

Once May left, Daisy was extremely relieved. She was embarrassed that the older woman had had to help her through an anxiety attack. She felt so weak, both mentally and physically. Just like real life. She was weak in real life too.

Daisy left the shower room, curling up on a bench near the lockers. It had been so long since she'd had the chance to relieve her stress. She just wanted that feeling of punishment again...

 _No,_ she snapped at herself. _You can't do that._

Everything was spinning around her. She desperately wanted to vomit again, but knew she couldn't. There wasn't anything left in her stomach. She was thirsty, and hungry, and physically exhausted. She knew she couldn't get up from the bench if she _tried_.

Maybe she should've taken Ophelia's offer. A life with Lincoln would be better than _this_ , hell, a life with Lincoln would be better than real life.

Because in real life her will to live wasn't there anymore.

* * *

"Hello, sir," Phil said to Mace when he walked into the common room.

Mace nodded at Phil. "Hey, Coulson, how are you?"

Phil didn't beat around the bush: "Have you seen Daisy anywhere?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. She came in here all shaky and stuff, ate something, then left. She talked about nonsense and confused the hell out of Mack and I. Poor thing jumped every time someone tried to touch her."

Phil shook his head. "She's probably traumatized. The things Hydra does to people..." He trailed off in his own thoughts.

"That reminds me, I think you should keep an eye on her. She wasn't in good shape when I saw her, and I don't think she was supposed to be eating yet."

"I picked up Jemma from the med bay early this morning, and Daisy was still there."

"She must have left. I have Barns on the lookout for her, too, so don't worry."

* * *

Phil finally found Daisy. Being the courteous gentleman he was, he was hesitant to go inside the women's locker room. Nonetheless, he knew Daisy needed his help and had a hankering she was in there.

Phil knocked on the door. "Daisy? You in there?"

No response.

"Daisy? It's Phil, Phil Coulson. The guy who saved you."

Still no response.

Coulson gulped as he turned the knob, pushing the door open. He found Daisy curled up on a bench, her hair wet and her body shaking. Her expression was numb and blank, like a robot.

"Hey there," he said gently. He sat on the bench next to her and patted her head. "You okay?"

Daisy tried to nod, but not much moved.

"Why are you in here, kiddo?"

 _Kiddo_. He called her kiddo in real life all the time. That made her heart hurt.

Daisy tried to rearrange her legs, but she only succeeded in slipping around and off the the bench. She landed with a _splat_ on the floor and groaned in pain.

"Woah, there!" Phil exclaimed, rushing to her side and cradling her head in his hands. "Geez Louise."

Phil gently lifted Daisy and laid her on the bench, using a rolled-up towel for her pillow. He stroked her hair. "Daisy, kiddo, maybe you should let somebody check you over. May told me you got sick."

Daisy slowly shook her head. "I'm okay," she mumbled. She was already embarrassed enough.

Phil rubbed her shoulder. "You know, Dais, you weren't supposed to leave the med bay all by yourself like that. You're too weak."

"I know," the girl said quietly.

Phil knitted his eyebrows with concern. He hated that Hydra could produce such misery.

Daisy, meanwhile, just wanted to succumb to the darkness that threatened her every moment. She didn't want this fight anymore. She didn't _want_ to explain everything to May, to Jemma, to Coulson.

Daisy stirred a little, trying to sit up. Surprisingly, Phil didn't stop her. She planted her feet on the ground and tried to stand up, only to fall back onto the bench.

"Dammit," she mumbled.

Phil raised an eyebrow. "See? Let somebody help you. Jemma seems to be in much better shape than you right now, and that's not a good sign."

"I don't give a damn what's a good sign and what's not!" Daisy hissed. The sudden shouting made her head pound, and she swayed a little. She shut her eyes to gather her bearings. "I'm sorry, I just..."

"Shh," Phil soothed, rubbing her back. "We can take care of you."

"Coulson," she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"This isn't real."

Phil froze for a second. "I know."

"You do?"

"Sure. Of course there's more to life than meets the eye. I won't deny that."

Damn. That was such a Coulson thing to say.

Daisy turned to look at Phil. "So...you don't think I'm insane like everyone else thinks?"

Phil shook his head, patting Daisy's hand. "Of course not. What I _do_ think, though, is that you're physically sick and you need to stop being so stubborn about it."

Daisy smiled. She'd missed her Coulson. "Okay. I will go get checked over, but only to make you happy."

Phil chuckled as he helped her to stand up. "Fine by me."

* * *

May couldn't explain it, but she felt jealous as she watched Phil and Daisy joke around on their way to the med bay. How had he been able to convince her to do that? A few minutes ago, May had literally pulled her from the shower stall, trembling and soaking wet, and now she was smiling and laughing?

"Dammit, Phil," she whispered to herself with a smile.

* * *

"Your digestive system is just overwhelmed from whatever you ate. You shouldn't have eaten anything without my permission." Barns told Daisy after he palpated her stomach. The feeling made Daisy want to vomit again and ignited new pains in her ribs, and she had a death grip on poor Phil's hand.

"Yep," Barns repeated as he trashed his latex gloves. "Just overwhelmed."

Barns knitted his eyebrows as Phil helped Daisy to sit up, the latter pulling her shirt down. "I have a feeling it's more than your stomach that's overwhelmed," the medic observed.

Phil looked at Daisy, as if to say, _Yeah, what he said._

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm a highly-trained SHIELD agent..." Phil and Barns gave her weird looks. "Oh," she said quietly, realizing that in this world she wasn't an agent at all.

Barns opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself.

"Kiddo, you want to tell us what's going on in your head?" Phil asked, his expression calming and paternal as he patted her hand again.

Daisy sighed. "Not really, because you all will just think I'm insane."

"There ought to be some truth in everything you perceive," Barns said, occupied with checking Daisy's vitals. "What you think is true is what's true for you."

Daisy sighed even deeper. "This world you know isn't real." To her surprise, neither man looked shocked. So she continued: "This world is called the Framework. It's a simulation, a world created without regret for seven people, seven SHIELD agents. There are seven _real_ people in this world, including me, that aren't supposed to be. Their bodies are in the real world, trapped by a robot named Aida."

"Who are those six people besides you?" Phil asked.

Daisy looked at him with big eyes. "You sure you want to know?"

He nodded.

Daisy sucked in a breath as Barns looked in her ear with a light. "You, Coulson. You're one of them."

Phil's eyes widened. He was a _SHIELD agent_?!

Daisy continued: "And Melinda May. And Jemma Simmons. And Jeffrey Mace and Alphonso Mackenzie. And, well, me, but I'm the only one aware."

Phil furrowed his brow. "There's one more."

Daisy held her breath as she spoke: "And Leopold Fitz."

* * *

"So you're telling me that this Daisy girl who doesn't even exist on-record says there are six people in this world that aren't supposed to be here? Six SHIELD agents stuck in a simulation, that's all this world is?!" Mace asked Phil. They were gathered in his office along with Mack, May, and Barns.

Phil shook his head. "No, Mace, she says _no one_ is supposed to be here. This world isn't real."

Mace ran his hand through his curly hair. "And don't tell me you _believe_ her, Phil!"

Coulson shrugged. "Not all the way. But there has to be _some_ truth to what she's saying. No one can make up that kind of stuff."

Mack scoffed and readjusted his footing. Jeffrey rolled his eyes, setting his jaw.

Alphonso turned to May. "Melinda May, you know more about Daisy than any of us do. What was her diagnosis while she was captive at Hydra?"

"I don't know all the details, but she was considered clinically insane. At Hydra, the 'Other World'-talk was considered taboo, nonsense," May answered.

"As it should be!" Mace exclaimed. "It's utter nonsense."

May shrugged. "I agree with Phil. Daisy doesn't seem like the type to make up that crap."

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me. We should admit all _three_ of you for insanity!"

After a few tense, silent minutes, Alphonso spoke up: "Phil, did Daisy mention who the six were?"

Phil nodded. "I'll only tell you if everyone in here consents."

Nods went around the room, Jeffrey being the only reluctant one.

"I'm one of them," Coulson told the group. "And so are you, May."

May went wide-eyed. No _wonder_ Daisy had compelled her so much. Maybe they were close in real life...wait, was she Daisy's mother?! Is that why Daisy called her 'Mom'?!

 _No, wait, why are you believing Daisy,_ she thought to herself.

 _Because you'd trust her with your life,_ something in May told her.

"Also, you, Mace. And you, Mack. And that Jemma girl, the other victim. And one more..."

"Go on," Mack said.

"Leopold Fitz."

"The Doctor?!" Mace asked in disbelief, his eyes wide. "You're telling me the man who has murdered hundreds and imprisoned thousands is a SHIELD agent in..." Mace did air quotes. "...the 'real world'?!"

May and Phil eyed each other, but the latter nodded.

Mace scoffed and slapped his thighs. "I'm leaving. I can't handle this crazy-talk." He stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Well, that went well," Phil said.

* * *

Daisy sat on a cot next to Jemma's, waiting for her friend to wake up.

"Jemma?" she whispered when she saw her stir a little.

The British girl's eyes fluttered open and she propped herself up with her elbows, squinting as everything became more clear. She smiled when she saw Daisy. "Oh, hi, Daisy."

Daisy grinned, handing Jemma a water bottle. "Hi yourself."

After sipping some water, Simmons yawned. "How are you feeling?"

 _Once a doctor, always a doctor,_ Daisy thought to herself with a smile.

"Better," Daisy replied.

"You're a lot less pale," Jemma observed.

"You're not so bad yourself," Daisy made sure to add.

"How are your ribs?"

"Oh, Phil made the most delicious ones with the best barbecue sauce I've ever had. I had to get a wet wipe afterwards, though, because that stuff gets _everywhere_ ," Daisy joked, making Jemma laugh. Daisy patted Jemma's hand. "But no, really, Barns has taken good care of me."

Jemma smiled, content with that.

A few moments later, her smiled faded. "I overheard Melinda and Phil's conversation about you."

Daisy sighed, letting go of Jemma's hand and turning away slightly. "I know."

"You can't just bottle things up like that—"

"I know," Daisy said between her teeth.

"If you felt sick, you should've told someone."

"Dammit, Simmons, will you shut up?!" Daisy snapped, more harshly than anticipated.

Jemma looked to be on the verge of tears, making Daisy feel extremely guilty.

"I'm sorry..." she started. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"The real world, right?" Jemma inquired.

Daisy nodded.

"You know I believe you about that."

Daisy's expression lightened a little. "You do?" she asked quietly.

Jemma nodded. "I refuse to believe what happened to me these past few years is real. There's no way."

Daisy smiled. "I'm glad _someone's_ on the same page."

"What is my life like outside of here?"

Daisy sucked in a breath. "You're a SHIELD agent, but when Hydra rose to power, you helped snuff them out. And you never had a fake death. You have a wonderful boyfriend who crossed heaven and earth to find you. He cares about you more than anything; you two are a team. One of you can't be without the other."

Jemma seemed content with that. Her smile went from ear to ear. "What's his name?"

Daisy swallowed, unsure of what to tell her. "J-James Dunn," she lied, thinking of the first name she could come up with.

Simmons smiled, and Daisy felt bad for lying to her.

"I love him already," Jemma said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is your reminder to seek help if you or someone you know struggles with mental health.
> 
> There are two more chapters left, both of which I hope to have published by the end of this weekend. I'd love if you commented, I always reply :)


	8. Escape to Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents make their escape, all led by one Daisy Johnson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please seek help if you or someone you know suffers from mental health issues!

Holden Radcliffe couldn't have been happier living with Agnes on that island. Sure, he might be dead in the real world, but what did that matter anymore? He hated Aida but she wasn't going to hurt him now. He was safe, and Agnes was safe.

He was safe, he was happy, and he wasn't suffering anymore.

This morning when he woke up, he sat up in his huge king-sized bed and took a sip of his pineapple juice he kept at his bedside every night. He gulped it down, then stood from the bed, opening the blinds on his windows. He sucked in a breath of saltwater air and listened to the waves as they crashed peacefully against the shore.

Gosh, was he lucky?

A smile on his face, Holden changed into his normal outfit of a Hawaiian button-down, khaki shorts, and sandals. He went into his beach-themed bathroom and washed his face with his sand-scrub that Agnes bought him last week.

Holden walked out onto the porch and found Agnes sitting on the porch swing, two coffees in her hands. She smiled and handed one to him. "How'd you sleep?" she asked.

Radcliffe smiled, taking the coffee and seating himself on the nearby wicker couch. He crossed his legs, sipping the coffee then swallowing. "Good. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean never gets old."

Agnes beamed as she watched the blue ocean. "It never does."

Radcliffe took out his phone, checking the news channels to make sure everything was going well in the world he'd created.

His face fell when he saw the newest Hydra article. The Doctor's newest experiment had failed.

As much as he wanted to forget about it, he had a duty. He knew Daisy was aware of the real world and he knew she needed his help to get back there.

He stood from the couch, sighing at Agnes's happy expression. He didn't want to ruin her mood.

"I have to go run an errand," he lied, heading for their private jet in their large garage.

Agnes stood up quickly. "What?!"

"It's fine, Agnes, I just need a few hours," he lied again.

"Holden..."

"Please, Agnes. I'll be back."

* * *

With a _hmph_ , Daisy punched the punching bag in the SHIELD training room. She needed to regain her strength so she could get out of here. Everyone was counting on her now. She _really_ wished they had a terrigen crystal.

Daisy knew for sure that Coulson, Simmons, and May wanted to get out of the Framework, but she knew Mack, Mace, and especially Fitz weren't so sure. Mack didn't trust her, Jeffrey didn't _believe_ her, and Fitz was a Hydra superior.

A shudder went down her spine at the memory of him pummeling her to the ground.

Daisy knew she had to take a break from punching that bag. Her chest was aching from her healing ribs and she was out of shape. She hadn't been eating much because of her achy and unreliable stomach, so she was starving her head off.

But she didn't want to stop. She had a responsibility and she needed to fulfill that.

But one of her punches got to be too much. The bag swung backward and delivered a whack to her sore chest, immediately knocking the wind out of her. Desperate for air, Daisy wobbled back and stumbled to the floor, coughing as she struggled for air.

"You can't keep doing that, you know," came Jemma's voice. Daisy groaned when she realized the girl had been watching her the whole time from the treadmill a few feet away. The past few days, she'd been berating Daisy for working out too much, saying nonsense like it was too much for her to handle as she recovered.

Daisy's nostrils flared as she finally managed to swallow a breath of air. "I'm fine, Jemma. Leave me alone."

Turning off the treadmill, Jemma didn't seem too convinced at that. She approached Daisy, crouching down and taking her hand, pressing her finger to her radial artery. Daisy shot daggers at her.

"Your heart rate is much too fast. Daisy, you have to take better care of yourself. You've already lost ten pounds from not eating anything, and if you keep that up you'll never be able to get back to normal physical capaci- "

"So now you look through my medical files?!" Daisy snapped, leaning away from Jemma and standing up, using the wall post for support.

Simmons shrugged as she, too, stood up. "What can I say? I miss being a doctor."

"Speaking of you missing things, Jemma, you aren't exactly in great shape yourself. You've been in Hydra's basement for years...well, your avatar has been programmed that way."

"I know I'm not. But since I'm actually eating and setting my own limits, I'm healing a lot faster than you are."

 _God, she's just like real-life Simmons,_ Daisy noted.

Daisy grabbed a towel and dried her sweaty face and neck off. "I'm fine, Jemma. _Please_ stop smothering me."

Jemma crossed her arms over her chest, shrugging. "Go eat something."

Daisy glared. "It'll come right back up."

"It's worth a try."

Daisy had to admit, food was quite inviting to her right now. It had been so long since she'd eaten a real meal...

It had also been so long since she'd harmed herself.

"I think I'm good, thanks, Jemma," Daisy said quickly. Before Jemma could say anything else, Daisy left.

Wanting to hide in her temporary bunk (which, unfortunately, she shared with Jemma), Daisy made her way down the hallways.

Daisy groaned when she ran into Agent Burrows. Well, the Framework version of him. The real version was dead.

"What now, Burrows?" she asked. He was usually the one to tell her Barns needed to run another damn test on her.

"Before he and Mack left for a mission at Hydra's Enlightenment Camp, Mace wanted me to tell you you have a visitor," he replied, his hands folded neatly behind his back.

Daisy scowled. "Visitor? What...?" She brushed past the short man, heading toward the Director's office.

"Who is it?!" Daisy nearly shouted as she burst into the office. Coulson and Mace were the only ones inside.

"Him," Mace answered, showing her his tablet. "He's asking for Daisy Johnson." The security feed from outside the base showed someone Daisy did _not_ want to see.

Holden Radcliffe.

Daisy's eyes widened. "Don't let him in," she ordered. "He's the one who put me in the Framework, who put _all_ of us in the Framework."

Mace seemed annoyed at her when she mentioned the Framework again, but Phil furrowed his brow as he studied the feed.

"He's saying something," he told Mace and Daisy. Mace turned on the audio.

"I come in peace!" Radcliffe insisted. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a light blue crystal of sorts. "This is for you, Daisy. I figure it might help you out."

Immediately, Daisy said, "Let him in."

"What?" Mace inquired. "How did a crystal change your mind that quickly..."

"Do it, Jeffrey," she hissed.

"Fine. But I have to go on a mission to save one of my agents from Hydra. Phil, can you take care of this?"

Coulson nodded. "Yes, sir."

* * *

"How did you get here and why do you suddenly want to help us?" Daisy demanded from Radcliffe. The guards had brought him to an interrogation cell and despite Mace's reluctance, Daisy convinced him and Phil to let her do the talking.

"I want to help you get out of here," Holden told her, clenching his hands from outside the cuffs.

Daisy was angry as she slammed her fist on the table, being careful not to crush the terrigen crystal which laid on the table menacingly. "You were the one to put me in here!"

"It was Aida's idea."

"That _you_ went along with! How in the _hell_ could you think that it was the right idea to shove a depressed SHIELD agent into a simulation in hopes of her magically getting better?!"

"It seemed like your only option." He noticed her intense anger and short fuse. "Seems like it still is."

Daisy couldn't disagree with him on that. She set her jaw and turned away from him, crossing her arms and walking around the room a little.

"So what made you change your mind?" she finally asked.

"Aida killed my real body," Radcliffe replied.

Daisy tried to stifle her shocked reaction, but she still widened her eyes. "What..."

"She thought I was a threat to the Framework, so she killed me so I can't get out. Thank God she doesn't know where I am now. If she did, she would- "

"Ophelia," Daisy interrupted.

"What about her..."

"Madame Hydra. _Aida_."

"And?"

"If she finds you, she'll kill you," Daisy said.

"Because I'm the only other one that is aware of and believes in the real world," Holden realized. "I'm the only one who can help you get out."

"You're wrong."

Holden furrowed his brow. "How do you mean?"

Daisy leaned against the table. "We're not the only ones who believe in the real world."

Radcliffe's jaw dropped. " _Daisy_. Don't tell me you- "

"I told everyone who actually exists besides Fitz," she finished for him. "For the most part, they're all on-board to get out of here, besides Mack and Jeffrey Mace. The only thing is, I have no idea how to get out of here. Usually I'd try to get close to death so Aida would come in and save me, but I have a feeling my life doesn't matter to her anymore, not after killing _you_."

Radcliffe sighed. "That's why I came here. I came here to help you get out." He pointed to the crystal with his head. "That won't hurt me or any humans. It's a special type I made sure to program into a hidden safe in my island home. Go ahead and break it. Heal yourself and regain your powers."

Daisy swallowed, carefully picking the crystal up. She looked at Holden. "Are you sure this will work?"

He nodded. "Positive."

With that, Daisy tossed the crystal onto the floor and it broke, sending the mist everywhere. The Inhuman husk began to appear on her body and travel around.

Daisy took one more deep breath before succumbing to her cocoon, ready to regain the part of her she'd missed so very much.

* * *

When the husk exploded off of her, everything began to shake around Daisy. Holden took cover under the interrogation table, grabbing the legs to keep it from moving. Guards tried to come inside the room but Holden shouted at them, telling them to give her a minute.

When Daisy's vision finally cleared up, she crumpled up onto the floor to try and control the buzzing insect feeling she'd grown to be so accustomed to before being tossed into the Framework. It was odd going through terrigenesis a second time, but nonetheless, she was grateful that she hadn't killed anyone this time.

She shuddered upon remembering Trip's death.

Daisy finally gathered her bearings enough to open her eyes. She watched as guards burst into the room, aiming their guns at Radcliffe. Holden raised his hands in surrender.

"She was willing to do it," he told them.

"Is this true?" an agent asked Daisy.

Sitting up, Daisy nodded. "He gave me what I was destined to receive."

The guards looked confused and now aimed their guns at both Daisy _and_ Holden.

Inpatient, Holden just blurted out the truth: "I gave Daisy her powers, dammit! She's a potential Inhuman, you know that!"

The head guard nodded to his fellow agents. "Escort her out of here. She can talk with Mace when he gets back."

Daisy glared at the head guard as the others grabbed her arms, lifting her to her feet and leading her out of the cell.

* * *

Daisy was getting bored out of her mind. She was sitting in the Director's office, waiting for Mace to come back from his mission about picking up an agent from the Enlightenment Center. She'd been in there for hours, it seemed, and there were guards standing outside the door, blocking her exit. Sure, she knew she could use her powers to knock them out, but she didn't think that was a good idea. She didn't want to get on SHIELD's bad side any further.

It felt odd to have her powers back. She'd missed them. She also missed _everything_ ; yeah, she had Phil and Melinda and Jemma on her side, but they weren't the same. _Nothing_ was the same. Yeah, she felt better after going through terrigenesis and was confident she had the skills and ability to get out of the Framework, but she really needed Radcliffe's help.

A knock on the doorframe interrupted her thoughts. Daisy stood, expecting to see Mace and Mack, but it was just Burrows. The young man's head was tilted down and he was clutching his notepad, his hands trembling.

"What is it?" Daisy asked him, getting a little closer to him.

"He-He...Mace..." Burrows stammered.

Daisy furrowed her brow. "What about him?"

Burrows looked up and Daisy noticed his sad and slightly-damp eyes. "He was killed."

Daisy was taken aback. She stumbled backward a step, trying to get her bearings. She knew that if Mace was dead in here, he was dead out there.

"They went in-into the Quarantine building where Hydra keeps the child prisoners and he...the Hydra jets shot at the building and Mace...the Patriot, he, he saved everyone but sacrificed his life in the process."

Daisy looked down at her feet and shook her head somberly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. She knew Mace was like a mentor to Burrows, both in here and out there. Now both of them were dead.

"He'll be remembered as a hero along with the rest of them," Burrows said quietly a moment later. He looked up at Daisy. "I know he was supposed to check in with you when he got back, but..." His voice broke and he had to take a second to compose himself. He took a deep breath. "...I don't see a need. I trust you."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Mack, your second-in-command, sure doesn't."

"I'm willing to push past that," came a deep, booming voice. Mack entered the room, his expression saying loud and clear that he'd recently been crying. His clothing was covered in dust and a bandage was wrapped around his large hand.

Daisy opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. "How are you, Mack?" is what she settled upon instead.

Mack swallowed, clearly on the verge of tears. "I'm alive."

There was a moment of somber silence.

"My point is, Daisy, I trust you. I trust that you're a SHIELD agent in the real world and I trust that you're telling the truth about it all. I understand that you're an Inhuman and that you have powers that can be very useful to us. This world doesn't feel right anymore and I'm willing to give up the Resistance's resources to get us back to the right place."

Glad to have Mack on-board, Daisy pressed her lips together, gently patting his arm. "I can do this, Mack. I'll get us out of here."

Mack looked down at her with sad eyes. "I sure hope so."

After a moment, Burrows said, "Uh, Daisy, what _are_ your powers, exactly? Or do you not know yet?"

"Oh, I know," Daisy chuckled with a smirk. She shrugged upon seeing the men's confused expressions. "I've been through terrigenesis before. Not a big deal."

"Well..." Mack began.

"They're seismic. I can cause earthquakes, basically."

Mack's jaw dropped at the same time as Burrow's.

Daisy smiled and strutted out of the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a man to speak to."

* * *

Radcliffe gave Daisy the specific location of the back door out of the Framework. Now all she and SHIELD had to do was prepare. She still didn't know how she was going to get Fitz to come through the portal, but she would have to try her best, no matter how angry she was at The Doctor. Fitz was still going to be Fitz outside the Framework.

"Are you sure we can do this?" May asked Daisy as the two sorted through the weapons stash.

Daisy raised her eyebrows, her eyes still focused on the gun she was loading. "Nope," she replied.

May narrowed her eyes. "I still can't believe you can cause earthquakes."

Daisy scoffed. "You should've seen me the first time I passed through the mist." She chuckled. "I cost SHIELD thousands in damage. You're lucky I already know how to control it."

May knitted her eyebrows, looking up from the weapon in her hands. "Who helped you control yourself? In the real world, I mean?"

Daisy smiled and put a hand on May's shoulder as she moved her head, pushing the hair out of her own face. "You."

A smile slowly appeared on May's face. She knew she meant a lot to Daisy, she just _knew_ it.

Just as Daisy was about to leave, the older woman stopped her. "Hey, Daisy?"

The young woman turned around. "Yeah?"

"Why did you call me 'Mom' the other day? Am I your mother in the real world?"

Daisy's smile widened. "Pretty much."

May was left with more questions than answers as the girl turned on her heel, her dark hair flowing as she walked away.

* * *

"What exactly is the plan here?" Phil asked Daisy once they arrived at the location Radcliffe had given her. It was a semi-remote warehouse that had been abandoned for a few months. He, Daisy, May, Mack, and Jemma were in a SHIELD van together, and it was getting a bit awkward and crammed during the long ride.

"We look around and see if there's anything even remotely resembling a portal," Daisy responded.

"And what about the other man?" Simmons asked. Daisy thought it might be fate that made Jemma ask about Fitz.

"Leopold? Oh, he...I'm just hoping Hydra will come here with him."

"You're _hoping_ Hydra will come?!" Mack exclaimed, confused.

Daisy looked over to the large man, pressing her lips together. "You couldn't understand, but Fitz is a good man outside of this Framework. He's a _great_ man, and he doesn't deserve to die in here."

"He's killed hun- " Mack began.

"Hundreds, I know, and I know this is hard for you to comprehend, but no one in here is real except for us seven. Well, six, now..." Daisy said, stopping herself as everyone silently grieved Mace for a moment.

"We're doing this for him," Coulson stated as he slid the van's door open, stepping outside and clutching his gun. _So Director-ly,_ Daisy thought with a tiny smile. She thought he might as well salute while he was at it. He nodded. "For the Patriot."

"For the Patriot," everyone chimed.

* * *

"This kind of looks like a portal," Jemma said to Daisy, pointing to a bathroom mirror bolted to the wall.

Daisy smirked, putting a hand on her hip. She looked from Jemma to the mirror to back to Jemma. "You're joking, right?"

Simmons looked confused. "I mean, no..."

Daisy decided to inspect the mirror just in case. "You know, in real life, you have, like, a 200 IQ."

"As if I don't in here!" Jemma huffed, offended as she waved her right hand around.

Daisy chuckled as she stepped back. "Nothing, like I thought," she told her friend.

"WE FOUND SOMETHING!" came a loud male voice. Daisy recognized it as Mack's, and she ran out of the bathroom and onto the overhead deck, Jemma following. Mack and Phil were standing over what looked like a large basin for hot, liquid metals. May was running toward them from the opposite direction.

"Now this, this looks like a portal," Daisy said.

"But it's just full of rusted, charred metals," Phil pointed out. "It's solid. We can't go through that."

"Let me see what I can do. Maybe I can break up the material..." Daisy lifted her hands, preparing to quake. "I would step back."

The various people and agents stepped away from Daisy as she shot the seismic waves from her hands. Once they reached the basin, the hard metal began to soften and break up, moving away from itself and opening up to reveal what should have been the bottom of the basin. Instead, a strange portal opened.

"THAT'S OUR WAY OUT!" Daisy shouted, loud enough for her friends to hear over her loud quakes.

"ARE YOU SURE?!" May asked, reluctant to jump into a normally _very_ hot basin.

"I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER WAY!" was the Inhuman's response.

"I'LL GO FIRST!" Jemma shouted, eager to get into a better world where her 'James Dunn' lived. Before anyone could stop her, she thrust herself off the balcony and landed in the basin, disappearing.

"I GUESS IT WORKED!" Mack screamed. "I CAN GO NEXT!"

Daisy nodded as she bit her lip. It was getting to be too much quaking for her and her arms, but she knew it wouldn't matter anymore as soon as she jumped in.

Mack pushed himself off the balcony and he, too, vanished into the real world.

At least, Daisy hoped.

Just as Phil was about to jump in, they heard a door being kicked down. To their horror, a strike team of Hydra agents led by Leopold Fitz stormed into the warehouse, the agents pointing their guns at Daisy, May, and Coulson.

Daisy had to stop quaking for her own sake. She could already feel her arms bruising and her head aching. She stumbled back from the edge of the balcony, and Phil had to catch her from under her arms.

"Ophelia's friend Holden Radcliffe told me you'd be here at this precise time," Leopold said as he marched up the stairs to the balcony, leaving a few agents on the ground and bringing a few with him.

Daisy smirked. Of _course_ Radcliffe would send Fitz right here. She found herself hating the worm who'd shoved her into this place less and less. She stepped away from Phil, able to stand on her own. "I'm sure you'd love to join us," she told him, before nodding at May. She started to quake again, not caring that a Hydra agent shot her in the arm as she did so.

"DAISY!" May shouted as the girl's blood splattered across her own Hydra jacket.

Phil took the cue to jump into the portal, knowing that that would be where he was most useful.

Daisy scrunched up her face in pain. "GO, MAY. I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU."

May did _not_ want to leave Daisy here.

"YOU TRAITOR!" Leopold hissed at May. "YOU WOULD BELIEVE THIS INSANE INHUMAN OVER YOUR HYDRA SUPERIORS?!"

For some reason, his insane propaganda-blabber made May more inclined to leave this world. She touched Daisy's uninjured arm. "Please come through alive," she begged the girl, just loud enough for her to hear.

Daisy plastered on a smile through all the pain and nodded.

With that, May jumped through to the other side.

Leopold nodded at his agents to shoot Daisy dead, but before they could, she redirected her quakes to the strike team, knocking all of them over, including Fitz himself.

Breathing heavily through all the pain, Daisy rushed to Fitz, putting her arms under his and dragging the unconscious man toward the edge of the balcony. She used one hand to quake the portal open again and one to lift him by one arm, not caring how much she hurt him as she tossed him into the portal. Heaving a sigh of relief once he vanished, she took a deep breath before stepping to the edge of the balcony.

She kept quaking the basin for as long as she could before jumping through herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more (slightly longer) chapter to go! Please comment if you can :)


	9. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents navigate their way through the world they know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: a few heavy topics in this chapter! Remember to seek help if you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues!

When Jemma opened her eyes she was overwhelmed with emotions. Both of her lives were flashing before her eyes.

Why couldn't she remember who James Dunn was? Why did Daisy lie to her about her boyfriend...

Fitz. Oh my God, _Fitz_.

Her heart raced as she ripped the monitors and IVs off herself, stumbling to the floor when she tried to get off the stand-up gurney. Her limbs ached and buckled from disuse and her stomach growled from malnutrition. She tried to stand up again but found herself with a deep desire just to stay on the floor.

Where _was_ she and how had she gotten there?! The last thing she remembered was Daisy-Bot attacking her and then a faint moment of someone putting something on her head and then...

Oh my God...

A groan came from across the room and Jemma turned to see Mack stirring on his gurney. She wanted nothing more than to rush up to him and check on him, but her legs were too noodly. She finally managed to grab the bed next to her and stand, but still using the bed for support.

Mack's eyes opened and they immediately widened as his two lives dawned on him. He looked down at Jemma. "Simmons- "

"Take a second to- " Jemma groaned as she righted herself. "process everything."

Mack swallowed as Simmons stumbled toward him, taking out his IVs and monitors for him.

He... _what_?! How had he never trusted Daisy and how had Hydra succeeded and why did his family agree with Hydra?!

What...?

Mack slid down the gurney, planting himself on the floor, his chin on his hands as he processed everything. Simmons sat next to him, her shoulder to his, as the pair thought about the unthinkable.

It was a few minutes before the next person woke up. Feeling a little stronger after stretching a bit, Simmons rushed to Coulson and undid his IVs and monitors for him as well. His chest was heaving. "I- " His first reaction was _where's Daisy?!_ and he relaxed greatly when he saw the girl, asleep but alive on the gurney a few away from his.

"Just three left," Simmons whispered to him as he joined them on the floor.

"Mace..." Mack whispered, eyeing the empty gurney where the man had once been.

"I know," came the unison response from Jemma and Phil.

May woke with a jolt and, too quickly, hopped off the gurney and jerked her head around, searching for the nonexistent threat. "Where am I?!" she hissed to no one in particular.

"May," Simmons soothed, a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "It's okay. You're safe."

"Shot...they shot her..." May stammered as she allowed Jemma to wrap an arm around her to steady her.

"It's okay, May. None of it was real," Simmons assured her as she lowered the woman to the floor.

"But I was Hydra!" May realized, her eyes wide and her heart racing. "How could I..." she choked.

Fitz was the next to awake and to be honest, Jemma had no idea what to say to her lover as he frantically unhooked himself from everything, collapsing to his knees on the floor, his face in utter shock.

"I killed all those people..." he muttered. He moved away when Jemma tried to comfort him. "Mace died because of me..."

"It wasn't real," Simmons tried to tell him.

Fitz's jaw was nearly on the floor. "It was real _enough_. Those were all my decisions- "

Mack and Coulson looked up at Daisy, who was still unconscious on the gurney. "I hope she wakes up," Phil whispered to Mack.

"Me too," Mack replied. Neither man took their eyes off her.

Finally, with a cough and a jolt, Daisy awoke and her fists started to clench. One hand grabbed for her arm as if it was in pain, and she whimpered very quietly.

Knowing Jemma was busy with Fitz, May rushed toward her surrogate daughter and cupped her cheek. "Daisy, Daisy," she said. "Wake up."

Daisy's eyes opened and she immediately searched her surroundings. "Where am I..." Her voice was impeccably raspy; she'd been in the Framework much longer than everyone else.

May beamed as she undid the monitors. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Daisy swallowed and coughed, but there wasn't a response. Daisy wasn't so sure she was glad.

May reached for Daisy's arm and inspected it. "The gunshot wound is gone," she told her with a smile.

"The pain, too," Daisy whispered, unable to speak loudly.

May nodded. Before she could say anything else, Mack rushed toward her and practically scooped the girl into his arms - knowing how weak she'd be from being in a coma for so long - and deposited her on the floor, her head comfortably resting on his lap. "Tell us what happened, Tremors," he said to her.

"I- " Daisy began before coughing again. Someone was holding her hand, and her eyes followed the owner's arm until she found Coulson. He wasn't happy, but he wasn't sad, either.

"She hasn't talked in a while and she's dehydrated," May explained. "She can explain later."

Grateful for the explanation, Daisy nodded in agreement.

Transferring her to Coulson, Mack stood to search the room and area with May.

Coulson gently stroked Daisy's head and patted her shoulder. He wasn't smiling, which was understandable, considering they'd lost Mace and he had just lived two lives at once. She couldn't imagine how hard that was for him, for _a_ _ll_ of them, especially Fitz. She turned to look at her Scottish friend. His face was buried in his hands as he sobbed, Simmons rubbing his back and talking him through it.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Phil whispered to Daisy as he rubbed her head. "I really thought I'd lost you."

Daisy smiled and sat up as best she could, wrapping her arms around her father figure and pulling him in for a big hug. He returned the embrace, rubbing her back and head gently as he hushed her.

Daisy tried to speak. "Where- "

Coulson stopped her as they pulled away from the embrace. "Shh, Dais, save your words."

As if on cue, May tossed a water bottle she'd found to Coulson. He caught it in his mechanical hand and unscrewed the cap, holding it up to Daisy's lips. She took it in her shaky hand and tried to get a drink, but didn't succeed. Noticing her struggle, Coulson placed his hand over hers and helped her to take a sip.

The water tasted better than peppermint bark and hot cocoa on a cold winter day. Daisy greedily sipped the entire bottle down in a few seconds.

She looked up at Coulson when she finished, nearly panting from drinking all that. "Oh I...should have left some for you," she said, able to speak a little better now.

He shook his head. "You need it more."

"It's a submarine," came Mack's voice from the other side of the room. His tall self had been able to stand on his tippy-toes and see the circular underwater window.

Daisy furrowed her brow. "This can't be good."

Suddenly, something appeared in the room. Before anyone could even consider what, Aida was in the middle of the room, an angry expression on her face.

Fitz looked up, his face sodden with tears, and his face fell when the realization hit him: in the Framework, he had finished Project Looking Glass. Aida had a real body with superpowers...

"HOW DID YOU GET OUT?!" Aida shrieked, angry. She stormed toward Daisy and grabbed the girl's shirt collar, yanking her away from Coulson and pulling her to her own height, practically spitting in her face as she hissed, " _You_."

Daisy kicked her legs but was too weak to free herself from Aida's grasp. Phil tried to tackle the former-robot but he, too, was a bit weak.

"Let her go!" Fitz shouted, pulling away from Jemma and standing up.

Fitz seemed to spark Aida's interest enough to drop Daisy roughly onto the floor. The girl grunted and coughed as Phil rushed to her side, checking on her.

Aida spread her arms out as if she wanted a big hug. "Leopold. _You_ made me this body, this real, living-flesh body." She smiled and kept walking closer to him.

"N-N-No..." Fitz stammered, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You-You forced me to do that...Don't-Don't you _dare_ give me credit f-for..."

Aida tilted her head, studying the young man as she continued to approach him.

Meanwhile, May was at-the-ready with a scalpel she'd found on the counter somewhere.

"Oh, Leopold," Aida said as she took Fitz's face in her hands. She smiled. "You made me, _me_."

Before she could do anything else to the poor, confused man, May rushed toward the former-robot and stabbed her in the chest with the scalpel. Aida let go of Fitz and stumbled back.

Blood, real(ish) blood, poured out of the stab wound and Aida reached down, clutching the injury with her hand. She looked up at May angrily. "Agent May, I do not like the feeling of human pain. Shall I return the favor and give you some?"

Aida started to approach May but Fitz got in her way, his hands raised in surrender. "P-Please, Oph-Aida...You want me, right? T-Take me. Just don't hurt them."

"Fitz!" Jemma shouted, feeling betrayed. He looked to her, his face ridden with guilt, as if to say, _I'm doing this for you._

With that, Aida wrapped her arms around Fitz, using her teleportation powers to vanish along with him.

"NO!" Jemma screamed, diving toward the spot she'd last seen Fitz, tears pouring from her eyes and sobs escaping her throat. "Fitz..." she croaked, hiccuping as new tears appeared. She buried her face in her hands as May started to rub her back. May didn't even have to say anything; her touch was enough.

Daisy rolled over in Phil's arms. "'M okay," she assured him with a weak, plastered-on smile.

"As soon as we get back to the base, you are _resting_. Understood, Agent Johnson?" Coulson ordered.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Eventually, Coulson deposited Daisy with Jemma as he, Mack, and May finally figured out how to open the cargo door holding them in the room. After it opened a few inches, Mack immediately shut it when he saw the multitude of LMDs waiting for them outside.

"Uh, we aren't strong enough to fight them," Mack said, stating the obvious.

"Dammit," muttered May.

"Why don't we..." Phil began, then shook his head as he eyed Daisy, who was curled up into a little ball, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth as she processed everything. "I wish she could use her powers right now," he whispered.

Mack sighed as he, too, eyed Daisy on the floor. "She was badass in there. She managed to convince _all_ of us to come back _and_ figured out how to, all the while dealing with torture and doubt. She had all of our lives on her shoulders."

"And she pulled through," May added with a smirk, a sense of pride. She'd _created_ that agent, and she was damn proud of the result.

Mack and May hadn't noticed Phil was searching the cabinets. He walked back to them with a few syringes and a bottle in his hand. He held them out to show the other agents. "Adrenaline. This should boost us enough to grab the girls and get out of here."

"What about Fitz?" Mack asked.

Coulson sighed. "We'll have to wait and see. Teleportation, it's..." He looked down at his socked feet. "...It's hard."

A moment later, Phil looked up. "Are you ready?"

Mack raised his eyebrows. "As I'll ever be."

May just nodded as Coulson handed them the loaded syringes. The three jammed them into their arms before Mack opened the door again. They raced outside and started to attack the Russian-men LMDs. May was very good at kicking them to the floor then taking their chin, yanking it up and snapping their head off in one fell swoop. Mack did a good job of punching them to the floor and stepping on their head or chest with his sheer strength and force. Phil had found a gun somewhere and was good at headshots.

Eventually, all the visible LMDs were out of commission, and the trio rushed back to the room, Mack wrapping an arm around Daisy and May helping Jemma up. The British girl insisted she walk on her own, and it took a few moments before her reluctant teammates allowed it.

"You all make your way to the top of this thing. Let me see if I can contact _anyone_ from SHIELD," Coulson said to his four agents. Mack nodded in understanding but May narrowed her eyes.

"Please come soon, Phil," she told him. It wasn't a request, it was a demand.

Phil nodded. "I will," he promised as the four stepped into the spiral-staircase room, starting to head up.

Coulson found a VLF phone in a nearby office. He tried multiple SHIELD numbers but found nothing. He finally decided upon a random agent's number, hoping it would work. He decided to call Agent Davis.

"Davis?" he pleaded, hoping and praying the man would pick up.

 _"Director Coulson?!"_ came the scratchy and shocked response from the other end after several rings.

"That's me. I'm so glad you picked up, Davis, I..."

 _"Yes, sir, bad news,"_ Davis said, hopping right into it.

"What is it?"

_"The Daisy-Bot and Aida...they destroyed the base with bombs after they kidnapped you and the main agents. Most agents managed to escape before they blew the place but agents Piper, Prince and I got the Zephyr out of there. We've been circling high up for weeks and we're running low on fuel. But that's all SHIELD has left, sir, Z-1."_

It took Phil a second to process that. His base, the Playground, was... _gone_?!

"God, Davis, anything else?!" Coulson asked. He knew he shouldn't be snappy with the man, but this info was killing him. SHIELD was gone?!

_"No, sir, are all of you okay?"_

Coulson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mace was killed-in-action. Well, in the Framework."

_"I'm so sor- "_

"Save it, Davis. Aida kidnapped and teleported Fitz somewhere but everyone else is more or less okay. If you could start running point on finding Fitz, that would be great." A scratchy noise sounded. "You're breaking up, I have to go."

_"Yes, sir, of course, sir."_

"And start trying to find _us_ , thanks." And with that, he hung up and started heading up the spiral staircase.

* * *

Mack, May, Simmons, and Daisy made their way to the top of the submarine, just in case it was about to start sinking. Not knowing what else to do (their minds and bodies were still exhausted from everything that happened), they sat on the floor of the narrow hallway, their backs pressed against the side so they could rest. Daisy had begun to stir in Mack's arms, May was staring off into the distance and coming to terms with everything, and Jemma had already curled herself into a ball again.

Phil rushed into the corridor, heaving a sigh of relief when he saw that his agents were alright. "Did you find a way out of here?" he asked. "Escape pod, anything?"

"Those only exist in the movies," May said, darkness and defeat laced into her voice.

Coulson let out a sigh, feeling extra winded, and sat down at a distance from May. He knew Davis had a good chance of tracking them from the VLF phone he'd called him with, but he knew it was going to be hard to find a submarine. For all he knew, they were very deeply submerged.

He also noticed the spirits of his team. All of them looked done, defeated. Daisy, physically, everyone else, mentally. Jemma was in a horrible state, she was trembling more by the minute. May was in a rare state of defeat, and Mack was depressed from losing Mace. They _all_ were.

 _I have to do something,_ Phil told himself. _I'm team leader. I have to get them out of this. They deserve that much._

Not notifying anyone beforehand, Coulson climbed a ladder he found in another room and went through a hatch, finding himself on another higher floor.

"What?" he whispered to himself. "I thought that was the end of the submarine."

Soon he found that they _weren't_ on a submarine, just an underwater base. That meant the surface was probably accessible.

"May!" he yelled as he stumbled down the ladder, running into the hallway they'd been waiting in. May barely perked up when she saw him. "I..." He panted. bending over and putting his hands on his knees. He pointed behind him and coughed. "...I found a way to the surface. We're on a base, not a submarine."

May's face lit up a little, and she wordlessly stood, bending down to help Simmons up. Mack stood as well, gently shifting his hold on Daisy to be more comfortable for him. She'd been stirring earlier but that quickly stopped. She was just too tired and weak to care anymore.

The interesting group of people followed their Director to the ladder. Sighing, Mack gently shook Daisy to wake her. He knew he couldn't climb a ladder with an adult (In)human in his arms.

The girl's eyelids fluttered open and she groaned. "What is it?" she mumbled.

Mack gently planted her feet on the floor, his grip still tight around her waist. "You need to go up the ladder on your own," he whispered. Jemma and Coulson had already climbed up.

Daisy sighed, taking her weak hands and grabbing onto the sides of the ladder and lifting a weak foot to the first rail. She shakily tried to pull herself up, but she didn't seem so confident.

"Hey," Mack reassured her quietly. "May and I are right behind you and we can catch you if you fall. Coulson is at the top waiting to help you up."

Daisy nodded to show she'd heard him and continued, her hands clammy and shaky. Miraculously, she made it to the top, well almost. Phil had to grab her from under her arms right before she was about to fall down. He pulled her all the way through the hatch and gently set her on the floor. She muttered "thank you" to him but doubted it was even audible.

The agents found their way to an elevator that brought them to the top of the base. To everyone's surprise, an Inhuman containment pod was already waiting for them, the Zephyr high in the sky above. Coulson smiled. Davis had done it. He'd found them. Phil made a mental note to promote the junior agent as soon as he got the chance.

The five crammed themselves into the pod and the sliding doors shut behind them. The pod rose, its thrusters shooting smoke and fire from the bottom, and made its way into the large plane. Once the pod had safely clicked in-place, the doors opened and Piper beamed when her eyes met her superior agents'.

"I'm so glad you all are okay," she remarked as they stepped out of the pod.

Mack swallowed as he looked down at his feet. "Not all of us," he said quietly.

"Jeffrey Mace died in the Framework saving a lot of good people," Coulson explained a moment later. "He will not be forgotten."

"Fitz is gone," Jemma mumbled, eliciting concerned looks from everyone.

Nodding somberly, Piper sighed. "We're working on finding him." She motioned to everyone and escorted the agents to the bunking area, knowing they all probably wanted to change and/or get some sleep in.

Mack yawned, his back to the sleep pod door, as he pulled the afghan over his wide shoulders and tried to get some rest. He knew May and Coulson were talking things over and debriefing with Piper, Davis, and that other agent and so he figured he wasn't needed.

He groaned when someone knocked on the door, but in case it was Daisy or Jemma who might need him, he slid open the door. It was Yo-Yo.

"Yo-Yo, I...I didn't know you were on the ship. I'm so sorry, I would've said hi..."

Elena pressed her lips together and nodded reassuringly, putting a hand on his arm. "A few days ago, they said they needed _mi ayuda_ , so of course I joined the crew."

Mack nodded, proud of her for taking on some leadership skills. "Thank you."

After a moment, Yo-Yo scratched her head. "So, how is everyone? Everyone _here_ , I mean."

Mack let out a deep sigh. "May and Coulson are okay, I think. It's Simmons I'm worried about. She lost Fitz, and on top of all that, she is sorting through two full lives at the same time, like the rest of us are."

"And Daisy?"

"She's a fighter. She got us all out of there. If it weren't for her, we'd still be in there."

Yo-Yo kicked her foot gently against the doorframe. "I'd expect nothing less from her."

Mack yawned, scratching his bald head. "Am I needed in the control area or anything?"

Elena shook her head almost too aggressively. "No, no, I just wanted to check on you. Davis is getting closer to finding Fitz."

Mack nodded. "Good."

She motioned behind her at the other pods. "I, uh, I'll go check on the _chicas_. Sleep well, Turtle Man."

Mack smirked. He was happy to hear her call him that again. "Thanks, Elena."

Gosh. He'd called her by her real name. She beamed. " _Denada_." She gently slid his pod door shut for him, wondering how such a big man could fit into such a small room.

Approaching another bunk, Yo-Yo could've sworn she heard sobbing. She pressed her ear against the door, trying hard to hear who it was.

* * *

Daisy felt like she'd been run over by a semi, picked up by a giant monster and tossed into a ditch on the side of the road, dragged out by a hillbilly, thrown into a trunk of a pickup truck, and rolled out the back onto the expressway, only to be run over by another truck. Everything ached from disuse and she _really_ hated moving so much.

As she sat in her pod with the door cracked open, she couldn't help but feel concern when she heard sobs. Grimacing at the movement, she left her own pod and found the one where the crying was stemming from. She slid open the door and felt a rush of pity when she found Jemma sobbing. She wasn't surprised, but she stepped inside, shutting the pod door behind her. She climbed onto the little bed, putting her sore legs into a criss-cross position. Simmons looked up briefly at her friend with a red and puffy face, as if to ask, _What are you doing here?_ Nonetheless, the biochemist crawled toward Daisy and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a desperately-needed embrace. Jemma clung to her friend like she was the only thing preventing her from falling apart, which was very much true. She felt the warmth of Daisy's arms wrap around her, rubbing her back gently and reassuring her. She felt their hearts beat in unison and synced her own breathing with Daisy's, trying to calm down. She let a few warm tears escape her eyes and drip onto Daisy's shirt, but she didn't care. Neither girl cared. They were together and they were _okay_.

After a while, Jemma calmed down a little, and loosened her grip on Daisy. She slowly pulled away, trying desperately to rub her eyes, but she only succeeded in smudging the salty water all over her face. Daisy took her own shirt sleeve and gently wiped the tears from Jemma's face for her, smiling a tiny bit to soothe her.

"You okay?" the Inhuman asked her best friend.

Simmons swallowed, knowing her voice might betray her if she tried to speak. She decided to just nod instead.

Daisy bit her lip. It took everything she had not to pass out right then from exhaustion and malnutrition, but she tried not to show it. She didn't want to worry Jemma any more than she already was.

There were a few silent moments of sniffles. Outside the pod and unbeknownst to them, Yo-Yo had decided to walk away and leave them alone.

"Why did you lie to me about Fitz?" Jemma asked quietly a moment later.

Daisy sucked in a breath and pulled her knees to her chest. "I didn't think it was wise to tell you your boyfriend was a- " She didn't finish that sentence.

Simmons sighed deeply and it was her turn to hug her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. "I'm sorry about what he did to you, Daisy- "

"What he did to _us_. And, it, uh..."

"It wasn't real," Simmons finished for her.

"It was real to _you_ , Jemma. You didn't know the difference. _I_ did. I could distinguish real from fake, it...it wasn't fair for you to have to experience that without knowing."

"But Daisy, you..." She sighed, squeezing her own knees tighter. "...I can't imagine what it felt like to know Fitz was your friend only to have him tor- " She stopped herself. "Hurt you," she said, quieter.

"It was a fake world."

"But a real Fitz," Jemma insisted.

"You don't need to apologize for him, Jemma. It's okay. _I'm_ okay."

Simmons swallowed and nodded, on the verge of tears again.

After a moment, Daisy tried to stand and open the door, but her legs betrayed her and she started to collapse. But before she could hit the ground, the pod door slid open fully and someone caught her. It was May.

Daisy looked up at her mother figure with grateful eyes as the older woman wrapped her arm around her shoulders and stood her up. "We've found Fitz," she told her and Jemma. "I came to tell you all and check on you."

Daisy gulped and nodded as May started to lead her back to her pod. But she started to shake violently, all the stimulation and talking getting to be too much for her weak self.

"Daisy," May said sternly, concern laced into her voice. She spun the girl around to face her, putting her hands on her shoulders for stabilization. Daisy's teeth were chattering and her eyes looked scared but blank at the same time. "Talk to me."

Still not making eye contact with May, Daisy swallowed. She didn't respond.

May brought a hand up to gently touch Daisy's cheek. "Have you gotten any sleep?" she asked the younger woman.

Daisy bit her lip and shook her head, still trembling. She was cold, she was hungry, and she was exhausted, mentally and physically.

"Come on," May whispered as she brought Daisy to her pod, laying her on the bed and pulling a blanket over her trembling body. The older woman seated herself on the edge of the little bed, stroking Daisy's head to calm her.

After a few moments, May's presence had calmed Daisy enough to stop trembling. Her eyes were open in slits and she looked over at her mentor, swallowing again from her dry throat.

"What's wrong, Daisy? You can tell me," May said.

Daisy shook her head and sat up, pushing away from May and pressing her back against the dividing wall behind her. "You need to go help with Fitz."

May glared at Daisy.

Daisy sighed, knowing May wouldn't leave until she explained herself. She started to fidget with the edge of the blanket. "I, uh..." She bit her lip. "It's been a while since I've been able to, you know, do my thing."

"Harm yourself?" May asked.

Daisy sighed and nodded, looking up at May with guilty eyes.

May took Daisy's hand and squeezed it. "Daisy, you saved all of us from the Framework. Don't you think you've made amends already? You've done so much good."

Daisy closed her eyes and shook her head again. "I got so used to doing it that it's part of my daily routine. I don't know what to do without it. And then Aida, she..." Her nostrils flared. "She kidnapped me and stopped everything and shoved me into a place I did _not_ want to be and disrupted everything and now I'm _here_ but nothing feels right!"

Daisy's heart pounded as she recovered from that angry rant. She was pissed at Aida and she wanted to kill her.

"If nothing feels right to you, then you're wrong," May said a moment later, touching Daisy's arm. "We're all here _because_ of you, so of course it's right. Yeah, our base might be gone and we might have a lot of different obstacles to overcome in the future, but we're all alive and we're okay. That _has_ to mean something to you."

Daisy turned away from May. "It does," she said quietly.

May sighed. "You need your meds, I know. I'm sure I could find some in the medicine cabinets, but I don't know how long they'll last you- "

"No," Daisy said.

"Hmm?"

" _No_ ," the girl repeated. She shook her head. "I want to get through this myself this time."

May nodded, understanding and respecting the young woman's response. She made a mental note to keep a close eye on her, in case she did end up giving in to her desires.

"I'll go get you something to eat. Does broth sound good?" she whispered as she stood, sliding the door open.

Daisy just nodded in reply.

* * *

It was a simple decision. There weren't any other options and besides, who cared about the consequences?

She was disposable. She didn't matter.

She could do anything and the consequences wouldn't matter unless they hurt someone else.

After she ate the broth May brought to her, Daisy snuck into the cockpit area of the Zephyr to listen to Coulson and May's conversation. Piper, Davis, Mack, and Yo-Yo were in the lab talking over Davis's findings about Fitz.

"We can't just send any of us in," May said to Coulson. "Just because we know Fitz's and Aida's location doesn't mean we're invincible. Aida has a flaming hate for every single one of us and won't hesitate to kill us."

"We can't just be cowards, May," Phil said to his lover.

"And we can't be cowboys, either," May snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot.

After a silent moment, Phil sighed. "How are the girls?"

May let out a deep sigh, dropping her hands to her sides and shaking her head in dismay. "Simmons is alright, she's fallen asleep. I think Daisy has as well. But..." She sighed again. "...she needs her meds. She's getting those urges again. Being in there, the Framework, I- It wasn't good for her."

"No doubt. It wasn't good for _any_ of us."

"She wasn't good to _begin_ with. I feel like I can't take my eyes off her for a single second, or she'll go out and do something stupid that leaves her hurt."

"Well, then we have to keep a watch on her. Mack is going to be..."

Seeing that they wouldn't give her any useful information, Daisy snuck away from the cockpit and made her way to the lab. She tried to be covert but ultimately didn't succeed; the lab is full of glass doors and windows.

The agents in the room gave Daisy their signature look of pity. The women knitted their eyebrows, but none of them spoke; they didn't seem to know what to say.

Finally, Mack said, "Tremors, I thought you were resting."

Daisy stepped into the room, crossing her arms and leaning against the table. "I _was_." She tried to plaster on a smile but succeeded only in biting her top lip. "I feel better now."

Elena furrowed her brow, looking Daisy up and down dubiously. "Uh huh, yeah."

Mack approached his friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What can we do for you?"

Daisy shrugged away from Mack. "You all don't have to end your conversation just when I enter. I'm not a kid."

"We know," Yo-Yo said.

"Then don't treat me like one."

"We aren't," Mack chimed.

Daisy shook her head and sighed, defeated. She scoffed. "Just—where is Fitz?"

The four other agents eyed each other, and Davis clicked his tongue as he looked from his computer screen to Daisy then back to his computer screen.

Angry when no one responded, Daisy marched up to Davis's computer and practically shoved the man out of the way to see the screen. She scowled a moment later. "We're already here?!"

Piper nodded. "We're cloaked, so we're just staying here until the Director decides what to do next."

Daisy shook her head in dismay. "Whatever. I'm going back to my bunk."

"You do that, _chica_ ," Yo-Yo said, thinking Daisy was just acting grumpy from her lack of sleep.

The agents were too preoccupied to notice when Daisy snuck out of bunk a few minutes later and when she took her Quake suit and a tracking tablet from the armory.

Nodding in solidarity with herself, Daisy took a deep breath before slipping out the side door of the Zephyr and hopping down onto the top of the building below.

Just as she was expecting, Daisy landed on top of a large skyscraper in a big city; presumably an apartment complex. She squinted against the wind as she staggered on her achy limbs toward the door to the elevator.

Daisy had no idea what she was walking into. She didn't know Fitz's state, and, hell, she didn't know whether Aida would murder her right when she walked in the door. She hoped the robot bitch wouldn't, not because she wanted to stay alive, but because she wanted to save Fitz before she died.

Quaking the door open, Daisy made her way down the flights of stairs, watching the tablet in her hands as she tried to locate her friend. She finally made it to the correct floor and stormed toward the apartment, quaking the door open.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but whatever she saw was completely unexpected. Aida and Fitz were _kissing_. On the _lips_.

The moment of shock wore off when she saw how disgusted Fitz was from the gesture of affection. Clearly it was a one-way kiss. The man pulled away from her, backing up and running into the couch behind him. He held his hands up in defense.

"Stay-Stay away from me, you—" he stammered, his voice shaky from shock.

Daisy didn't let it escalate any further. She shot her hand up and quaked Aida to the floor. She stormed toward her friend, letting adrenaline numb her sore legs. She grabbed Fitz's arm.

"Fitz, are you okay?!" she asked, knitting her eyebrows as she looked him up and down.

Fitz swallowed and nodded. "She tried to get me to be her b-boyfriend and she wanted me to help her with scien— DAISY! WATCH OUT!" he screamed as Aida pulled out a gun. Luckily, Daisy reacted quickly enough to dive out of the way as Aida pulled the trigger. Daisy groaned from on the floor. It didn't feel good for her sore muscles to move so quickly like that. Fitz rushed over to Aida to try and quell her.

"P-Please, Aida, I—" he stuttered, moving shaky hands around to try and coax the gun out of her hands. The android wouldn't listen; she aimed her gun at the girl curled on the floor.

But before she could pull the trigger this time, Fitz gasped as he watched three holes bore into Aida's chest, each one accompanied by a loud _bang_. As the android fell backwards into the floor and her synthetic blood spilled out, he whipped his head around to see Mack, Yo-Yo, and May in the doorway, Mack's gun still raised. A few feet away, Daisy had emptied the minimal contents of her stomach. There went the broth.

Mack and Yo-Yo ran toward Aida while May rushed toward her surrogate daughter. She grabbed the girl's arm and yanked her to her feet, making Daisy wince.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" May hissed, shaking Daisy to get her attention. Daisy opened her eyes and upon seeing them May immediately regretted being so harsh on her. The girl's eyes were filled with regret, sadness, and exhaustion. And Daisy's eyes always, _always_ had an aura of innocence. Right now was no exception. May sighed. "You can't leave us like that," she said quietly. She looked into Daisy's eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I thought you were going to..." It took everything she had not to let her voice break at that moment. "...I thought you had left to end your life."

That hurt Daisy's heart and even more regret flooded her system. She didn't even _think_ about how her actions would affect May. She shook her head. "N-No, May, I wasn't—"

"Oh, thank God," May muttered, finally giving in and pulling Daisy into a tight embrace. She held Daisy's head and rubbed her back in soothing circles.

This wasn't something that usually happened with May, and it caught Daisy off-guard. She rarely ever gave hugs; the only time Daisy could remember was when Lincoln first died and she had fallen over while she was trying to get a drink of water. It wasn't intended to be a hug but as May helped her up, it turned out to be.

Pulling away from the embrace, May turned stern again as she grabbed Daisy's arm, pulling her out of the apartment and keeping her grip on her all the way up to the roof and toward the Zephyr. Daisy wanted to check on Fitz and watch them put Aida in the containment module but May just kept dragging her. Where, she didn't know.

Eventually May brought Daisy to her bunk, practically shoving her onto the bed.

"Let me see your arms," she ordered matter-of-factly.

"May, I didn't..." Daisy sighed. She knew the drill by now. Sighing again, she unzipped her jacket and took it off, setting it on the foot of her bed. She flipped her arms over to show the undersides and let May see.

The older woman took Daisy's hand in hers, gently running her fingers down the length of each of her arms as she carefully inspected them. She squinted to make sure no new scars were present. It would have made Daisy uncomfortable, had she not been so used to this process already.

Satisfied, May let go of Daisy's arms. The girl pulled them against her own chest as she curled her legs into a criss-cross position.

"Are you hurt?"

Daisy shook her head.

"Are you okay?"

A moment of hesitation.

Daisy shook her head once more.

"Yeah, thought so," May whispered as she seated herself on the bed next to Daisy, pushing her body so her back rested against the wall. Daisy looked up at her and May retorted with a wordless nod. Daisy took the cue to scoot closer to the older woman, sitting right next to her as she rested her head on the other woman's shoulder. May wrapped her arm around Daisy, gently stroking her arm as they sat there in silence.

May's presence alone was enough to calm Daisy.

After a few minutes, their little moment was interrupted by a soft, hoarse voice.

"What happened?" asked Jemma, eyeing Daisy's quake suit. She was standing right outside Daisy's bunk. Her hair was messy and unbrushed, and she still wore SHIELD-issue pajamas.

"We got Fitz back," May replied, not bothering to hide the truth from her.

"Is he okay?!" the young woman asked frantically, worried for the love of her life.

May nodded. "He's fine."

Jemma knitted her eyebrows. "I'd better go see him. He needs me. He needs—"

"No," May said sternly. Jemma hadn't even noticed that the woman had stood up and grabbed her arm.

"May—"

"Simmons, he needs time."

Jemma scowled angrily. "May, I'm sure I'm the first person he wants to see right now." She shrugged away from the other woman's hold and continued toward the hangar of the plane.

Sighing and knowing she couldn't stop her, May stepped back into Daisy's bunk and found her lying all the way down, her eyes closed. Knitting her eyebrows at how sweet and innocent the girl looked, May sat down on her bed and put a hand on her head, gently brushing the stray hairs away from her face.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Daisy whisper-mumbled, startling May a tiny bit.

"You mean SHIELD?"

Daisy nodded. "Yeah."

May sighed deeply, running her hands down her own thighs. "Right now we're being painted as terrorists, you know, for owning LMDs."

"Awesome."

"And, well, quite frankly, Daisy, I don't know what's going to happen next. There's no way _to_ know." She sucked in a breath. "I can't tell you what's going to happen next, but I can tell you you're going to be okay. _We're_ going to be okay."

"You- May, you can't—"

"I _can_ , Daisy. You're going to get through this. You're going to start loving yourself, whether you like it or not. You're going to stop putting yourself in harms way and we're going to get through this together. Sure, it may never be the same SHIELD again, but we're still alive. We're still here and that _means_ something. It _has_ to, Daisy, it _has_ to."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Daisy nodded as she tried to will away the stray tears coming out of her eyes. She sniffled as May gently wiped the tears from her cheek with her thumb.

"I love you, Daisy. Please stay here. Stay with us. If not for you, for the people around you."

Nodding, Daisy allowed her sore and exhausted self to slip into a soft slumber. Finally, she could rest a little easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this story! I hope you all enjoyed it. Please comment any suggestions or requests you have for me moving forward.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this! I hope to post the new chapter tomorrow or sometime soon, depending on how much you all like it :)
> 
> Remember to BE CAREFUL while reading this and get help if you or someone you know is experiencing similar issues to the ones mentioned in this story. I can't stress this enough!!


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